Lockdown diaries: 'I feel hope for the future at last'

Harrison will celebrate his first birthday on 25 March after a year of restrictions

Olivia Hall gave birth at Southmead Hospital in Bristol, two days after the first lockdown started. No-one saw her son, Harrison, as a baby, and now he's a toddler. With the relaxation of restrictions under way, she says she now feels hope for the future. This is lockdown life in her own words.

"Finally, a relaxation of restrictions. The excitement is overwhelming.

"It is almost incomprehensible to believe that the imprisonment that has consumed our lives for so long, a lifestyle that has become the 'norm', could actually change.

"It is not just the physical freedom, but the emotional release of responsibility: to my family, my elderly parents, my 90-year-old neighbour, my new-born baby.

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"A baby, born into lockdown life, emerging a walking and seemingly fully functioning toddler.

"His first birthday is on 25 March. I can't wait for him to be able to play with friends, hug his cousins, meet his godparents and explore new places.

"Now is a time to heal; a time to be positive; a time to unite," Ms Hall says

"Now is a time to be grateful, to remove the shadow of imprisonment and look forward to a brighter future.

"I feel so appreciative to the NHS. The efficiency of the distribution of the vaccination at unprecedented speed has enabled my mother, father and sister to gain some protection.

"It is a huge relief, as though my responsibility for their safety has been somewhat relinquished.

"I worry for the financial recovery of many families and the class divide that these economic struggles consequently create.

"The suffering of our society has been cataclysmic, and repercussions will no doubt rear their ugly heads in dregs over the coming months and years.

Ms Hall says she is excited for her son to be able to play 'normally' with other children

"But now is a time to heal; a time to be positive; a time to unite. A time for children to return to the classroom, connect with their friends and receive the educational attention they deserve.

"I am so excited at the prospect of my son being able to play and interact with other children in a normal, functioning, social capacity. Emails from toddler classes are starting to fill my inbox with dates of face to face classes.

"I cannot wait to reconnect with other mums and dads; long-lost friends and family.

"There is hope, and... it is time to embrace optimism and rejoice in the anticipation of a reconnected future."