In 2018, I met members of the Performance Ensemble, when they came to talk to us at Feel Good Factor, where I had been a volunteer for some time. Feel Good Factor is a health and wellbeing centre based in Chapeltown, Leeds. As a result, I took part in a performance at the Queens Hotel called Bus Ride. It was the first time I had done anything like that. It was well out of my comfort zone. It was a massive, scary challenge. But I did manage it. In front of 193 people – I told a story about a bus trip to Whitby.

Since then I have moved on. The performance has given me the confidence to do more. Now I volunteer for Feel Good Factor, and make home visits. This is to encourage and motivate people who feel isolated and alone, just as I used to feel. I encourage them to come to social groups, to meet new friends. It makes me happy to see I am making a difference and to see them smile, and I think it makes them happy to see me smile, too.

I have always been a very outgoing person, who loved socialising. I would go to social groups three times a week, and when I had my free days, I would visit family and friends.

Then came the Covid 19 lockdown, and things totally changed. I had to adapt to staying at home, and that wasn’t easy for me. I did struggle the first few weeks. I would just go to shops and focus on keeping social distance and avoiding people. It didn’t occur to me to make a conversation. I would just get served and go home.

As weeks passed, I started to notice that I was becoming depressed. So I had to think of something different which would help my wellbeing. It got me thinking, why not make a conversation when I went to the shops? So the next time I went, I did, and it did make a difference. So I kept it up. Also having long conversations at home with my son helped me.

Having more free time, I have been cooking more, especially healthy meals, and even cleaning and dusting helped to stop me getting bored. These days I phone family and friends, and ask how they are coping, which helps me too. As does having a routine: waking up at a similar time and going to bed at the same time every night. One thing I will remember, if we have another lockdown, is that I will use these methods to cope and to manage my life. Get a routine and make small changes: it really makes a difference. This is a good lesson to learn in life. There’s always light after a dark tunnel.