Georgie O on 26 March 2021
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Q. How would you describe your life, and how do you feel about it?
How do I describe my life? I don't know where to start. We had a Community Arts business and we're also, I'm co-chair of the \[anonymous organisation\] which took a dramatic change very quickly at the beginning of covid. We've gone from trying to do, I don't know, change policies, ideals, via the media, all sorts, to running a three-day a week food bank because there's a massive need for it. Also we take on other people's emails asking for food, direction, where to get help, where to go. We've had to listen and want to listen to people's problems. Whether it's getting benefits, whether they just need to chat because they're in isolation or they're on their own. I've talked to more media, I've been on radio, I've been on live news, TV. I've been involved in a couple of articles. I've done loads of projects like Covid Realities and other ones.  The Arts side has obviously stopped albeit I've done a few online projects and one's we're going to facilitate which is amazing and exciting. But that's all to do with various other projects around food poverty, security, covid related projects. Yeah, my life has changed. I had to get used to the camera which I'm still not great with. So from a personal point of view, as I'm already on Universal Credit, I'm set, I'm settled. I have a good understanding of my own budget. I've never really had any money. I did for a short amount of time which was weird and amazing. So I do know what life's like where you don't have to think or worry, but actually I've done quite well out of covid. I don't mind a distancing. I haven't been poorly over winter, which usually I'm continuously poorly with chest infections, which have an effect on my life and running of the house. Obviously I've not had one this year, which is amazing and great. We've been asked to move over \[audio unclear\] from our point of view and a foodbank point of view. So the foodbank has to stop now we're doing more of the \[anonymous organisation\] stuff. From the art point of view we now have an art studio space where we've got more contacts now than we did before because we've moved. We are possibly doing community work again when the market kicks up and covid relaxes and the rules in a safe way. I've learned so much about health and safety, about security, about how people get themselves into tricky situations, how people had everything and now have nothing. It's been amazing and I've enjoyed it and it's been stressful and it's scary and it's been sad and amazing and happy. It's been a roller coaster. But I've loved it and I'd like to continue doing this sort of stuff. So my life changed quite a lot, I'm very, very busy, but I get paid nothing for it, really. So fingers crossed one day that might change. Who knows?
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