Hertsmere Museums are seeking to collect objects and first hand experiences to reflect local people’s lives during the Covid-19 Pandemic. Our museums want to document and record this time to ensure future generations will be able to learn about and understand this extraordinary period.
What we want
- Physical and digital objects.
- Photographs taken at the beginning of the pandemic when people began to get a sense that something big was going to happen. Supermarket shelves emptied of bread, eggs, pasta and loo-rolls.
- Photographs during lockdown. Empty roads and streets. People queuing for supermarkets, personal protective equipment in evidence.
- Journals – did you keep a diary of what was happening day to day? Did you record your thoughts, feelings and fears?
- Dream diaries – at the beginning of the pandemic, there was much fear and anxiety as we entered uncharted territory. Many people reported strange and vivid dreams around this time. Did you record any of these dreams? We would love to have a record of these.
- Pictures of rainbows in windows, signs you may have made, banners or artistic projects with children whilst home schooling.
- Poetry – did the pandemic inspire you to write poems, songs or stories?
- Face coverings – did you make a personalised mask early on in the pandemic? Do you have a spare you could send us? A picture of you wearing the mask?
- Is there an item that particularly represents your individual experience of the pandemic? We would like to know about it.
How you can help
Please photograph your proposed donations and email them to us with a brief description.
The curators will then get in touch with you to arrange bringing the items to the museum. The final decision on donations rests with individual museum curators.