Covid-19: The last 'normal' pictures of life before lockdown

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Aga McPherson and her friend Fran LevyImage source, Aga McPherson
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Aga McPherson (left) and her friend Fran Levy enjoying a drink in the pub days before lockdown last year

A year on from the start of lockdown, we asked you to share the last "normal" picture you took ahead of a life-changing period for all of us.

For many, the last 12 months have been frustrating, as the enjoyable things that we had previously taken for granted became off-limits.

And so those moments before the world turned upside-down - whether they were spent on an adventure holiday on the other side of the world, or in a local pub with family and friends - have become extra special memories.

Aga McPherson, from Canterbury, Kent, took a picture with her friend Fran Levy just days before the first lockdown started.

"The thing I love about the photograph is that we look so happy and relaxed and are just enjoying a night out at the pub," she said.

"I remember we were singing karaoke that night, and not worrying about any social distancing or passing germs. It was a nice, relaxing evening and we were happy."

While she uses Zoom and WhatsApp to talk to friends, she said she misses "human interaction".

"Video chats will never replace it," she said.

Tracey Bates and her motherImage source, Tracey Bates
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Tracey Bates has been unable to see her mum Dorothy since they last met in Luton on 25 February 2020

It has been over a year since Tracey Bates last saw her mother, Dorothy, who has Alzheimer's disease and dementia, and lives in a care home in Bedfordshire.

Tracey, who lives in Lincolnshire, last saw her mother at a pub in Luton on 25 February 2020, at one of their fortnightly catch-ups.

She says she hopes her mum "still knows and recognises who we all are".

Child making a mess at a restaurantImage source, Lauren Carly Naylor
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Lauren Carly Naylor said her family went out for dinner the night before the first lockdown

Sandra Hughes and her daughtersImage source, Sandra Hughes
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Sandra Hughes (right), from Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire, went on a trip with her daughters to Krakow, Poland, on 29 February. She said within weeks "life had changed completely"

Emily Mead and familyImage source, Emily Mead
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Emily Mead (far right) last saw her husband's parents, his two brothers, and their families, on 1 March at Belton House in Grantham, Lincolnshire. The family has grown by one since then

Tania Oulton and family from Australia at a Crystal Palace matchImage source, Tania Oulton
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Tania Oulton took her family, who were visiting from Melbourne, Australia, to a Crystal Palace match. She said she was "so glad we all had this time together"

Lizzie HawkinsImage source, Lizzie Hawkins
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Lizzie Hawkins (right) on World Book Day 2020, with colleague Emma Durant

When Lizzie Hawkins had a picture taken of her dressed as Violet Beauregarde from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory she had no idea that she would be isolating because she had a cough a week later.

The teacher, who works at a primary school in Portslade, West Sussex, didn't return to work for months - as she then found out she was pregnant.

Her daughter Charlotte arrived on 23 November.

Nick Searle and partnerImage source, Nick Searle
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Nick Tearle (right), from Peterborough, was on a trip across Sri Lanka, India and Nepal

Nick Tearle, from Peterborough, was on a trip across Sri Lanka, India and Nepal when he and his travel partner Elizabeth Sludds learned of the pandemic.

They arrived back in the UK on the last flight out of Nepal on 23 March 2020.

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