Final pandemic testimonies gathered in the East

People were able to complete questionnaires and have one-to-one conversations about their experiences of the coronavirus pandemic

Testimonies for the Covid 19 Inquiry have been gathered as the East of England hosted its final event on Wednesday.

Dozens of people attended the event at The Forum in Norwich, where staff offered one-to-one conversations and many shared personal experiences of the impact of the pandemic.

Elysia DePledge, a member of Covid 19 For Justice, blamed lockdown delays after her mother died aged 72 in April 2020.

"This is about learning lessons and that can only happen if our loved-ones voices are at the centre of the inquiry," she said.

"Had we acted faster and sooner she would most likely still be here," Ms De Pledge said.

"It's really important that mum's story is there."

Elysia DePledge's mother Jenny Bone, died in April 2020, and her testimony blames delays in locking down the country

Don Gilchrist, from Norwich, says his father has not walked since he was injured during the pandemic, citing the disruption of medical services

Don Gilchrist's testimony reveals the impact that Covid restrictions had on his father's mobility after a fall.

"The day that Boris Johnson said that we have to shut down the country, two days later my father fell and broke his hip, and and he hasn't walked since," he said.

"The knock-on effect of the rules meant that we couldn't see him, we couldn't help him. He needed support to be able to get up and walk.

"And he hasn't - so he hasn't walked since then, which then has meant huge implications with care, massive implications with care costs, and has massively affected the family, so much so my parents have had to live apart.

"There have to be different ways that we as a society can be able to support these people accepting there are going to be restrictions.

"There was medical help, but there was no support from families because we weren't allowed to see him."

Inquiry host Laura Pellington-Woodrow says the purpose of the inquiry is to hear from every part of the UK and gather testimonies as evidence

Laura Pellington-Woodrow helped collate the experiences of those who attended the event in Norwich.

"We totally understand that everyone's experience of the pandemic was different, so people's experiences in Norwich were different to Ipswich where we were yesterday - and Luton where we were earlier in the summer and other locations," she said.

"We want to get as many people's experiences as possible to help inform the work of the inquiry.

"Many people suffered bereavement, many people suffered from isolation; from loneliness. We saw communities come together, we saw community groups.

"There's a very wide spectrum and it's very important for us to learn from those; learn from what didn't go well, from what went well, so that we can inform planning for future pandemics."

Sue Debbage wanted to share her positive experience of socially distanced walks with "bubbles" of friends

Sue Debbage, 74, from Norwich, is a wellbeing walk leader, and says her testimony highlights positive experiences.

Being allowed to take an hour for outdoor exercise led to people having socially-distanced contact with others, and eventually allowed people to form "bubbles" of up to six people.

She said: "We contrived to be in the same park at the same time, still socially distanced because we were looking after each other at the same time.

"So, us single walkers who met in the park could go off as a six, and we are still a six, and there are still other sixes across Norwich and we still walk, and we walked yesterday as a bubble and we will walk on Friday as a bubble.

"We wouldn't have got to know these friends, these new friends who are old friends now, without Covid. It's a positive."