As we reach a year of lockdown, here are some of the things that kept life bearable.
5. Meal kits and takeaways
As restaurants and pubs hastily pivoted to takeaway operations during the first lockdown, ordering in became a method to treat yourself while supporting local business for those who could afford to do so.
As the year progressed, more and more food outlets began to produce meal kits to allow their customers to continue to experience restaurant-quality food at home.
6. Sea shanties
The close-harmony nautical folk songs proved to be the perfect genre for a TikTok trend which saw users repeatedly layer their own vocals on top of others’ videos.
And this was one social media trend to break through into the mainstream, making a star of Nathan Evans – the Scottish postal worker whose version of Wellerman started it all.
7. PE with Joe
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Joe Wicks began "PE With Joe" on YouTube to try to help children stay active; this livestream had a wide impact and was viewed by over a million users worldwide. For this, he was awarded his MBE in the Birthday Honours of 2020
8. Clap for Carers
Clap for Carers was the social movement created as a gesture of appreciation for the workers of the NHS, and other key workers.
The idea originated in Europe and was adopted in the UK by Annemarie Plas, a Dutch woman living in London, who promoted a campaign which took place every Thursday evening at 20:00 between 26 March and 28 May 2020.