Covid inquiry to visit Nottingham and Leicester

Residents will have their chance to share stories of their experiences during the pandemic

People in Nottingham and Leicester are being invited to share their pandemic experiences as part of the UK's Covid inquiry.

Residents will be able to tell their stories at a drop-in session at Nottingham's Council House in the Market Square from 10:00 to 16:30 BST on Thursday and Friday.

On Saturday, a session will be held at Leicester's Highcross Centre from 11:00 to 18:00.

The Every Story Matters events, which are part of the inquiry, have been held across the country to learn about how people from different places were affected.

The recollections will form part of reports that will be submitted to the inquiry, being led by former judge and crossbench peer Baroness Hallett.

Former prime minister Boris Johnson launched the independent inquiry in 2022, days after bereaved families warned they could take legal action against the government over delays.

Ben Connah, the secretary of the inquiry, said it had heard a "huge number of different stories" so far

The first public hearings took place in June 2023.

Since then, the inquiry has heard from about 50,000 people who have shared stories both positive and negative - from the way people's daily lives changed, to the "loss and hardships felt" and the way in which communities "banded together".

Leicester residents endured the longest lockdown in the UK while at one point in October 2020, Nottingham had the highest Covid rate in the country.

Ben Connah, secretary of the inquiry, said: "The reason we're in the East Midlands this week is partly because it was so hard hit.

"It's everybody's chance to contribute to the work of the Covid inquiry and to help us to build a fuller picture of how the pandemic affected people in different parts of the country."