People from across Exeter have shared their memories of the sadness, loneliness and varied experiences of the coronavirus pandemic to mark five years since the UK went into lockdown.
The reflections about when the virus reached Exeter, and the impact it had on people's lives are recorded in a new audiobook.
It shows the painful experiences of bereavement and loss experienced by many, but also the humour, disruption and strangeness of lockdown.
The audiobook is designed to help everyone in Exeter and the surrounding areas to reflect on the challenges of the pandemic half a decade on.
"I Remember: Exeter's Memory of the COVID-19 Pandemic project" was put together by Professor David Tollerton, from the University of Exeter, as part of his ongoing research on how the impact of the pandemic is being marked by communities. Anyone could submit their memories.
Excerpts will be read out by local leaders as part of Exeter's commemorations on Sunday 23 March in Northernhay Gardens at 10:40am to mark five years after the nation went into lockdown.
The audiobook records 113 memories, all anonymous, ranging from recollections from the beginning of the pandemic and ending when the vaccine became available. This includes the difficulties of not having childcare, working in the NHS and memories of those who died.
People who submitted memories describe how scared they were at the beginning of the pandemic - "the day it suddenly got quiet" and when their lives "stopped". They remember desperate loneliness and how much they missed family and friends.
One said: "I remember my mother looking at me, distressed by the strategically-aligned plastic windows on the lawn of her care home. A week later my dear mother was dying. I was allowed inside. I hope she recognised my voice from behind my PPE."
Medical staff remembered their experiences of having to don PPE and the trauma of looking after seriously ill patients.
One person said: "I remember waving goodbye to my husband who worked in the ambulance service for his first shift in lockdown. His mask and PPE did not fit. My son gave him his dinosaur mask and said 'Take This Daddy - You can Roar!'. I wondered that day whether extinction would be all our fates."
Another said: "I remember the faces of the patients whose hands I held, tears I dried. Taking them outside the warehouse hospital to see daylight when they were well. Clearing their chests, measuring their oxygen when they were not. Most of all, I remember my amazing colleagues who brought so much joy."
A medical worker said: "I remember the horrendous coughs as patients were brought in by ambulances. I saw them going past me on trolleys on their way to ICU. I was scared for me and my family, and for all my colleagues, and for the patients I encountered. After work one evening I was so overwhelmed I sat in my car with my head on the steering wheel and cried."
Others remember the help of the vaccines arriving: "I remember working in the first Covid clinic and seeing the joy on patient faces as they received their first vaccination. Families took photos at the clinic - such an emotional and happy experience after such uncertainty."
In addition to the memorial event, a Book of Memories will be available at Exeter's historic Guildhall from 11.30am to 4.30pm on Sunday, offering a space for individuals to share their experiences – both the hardships and the moments of hope.
Visitors can listen to the full I Remember audio recordings in the Guildhall's Jury Room.
The 28-minute-long audiobook is also available on SoundCloud and YouTube. It is read by University of Exeter PhD student Leah Lawford, who grew up in Exeter and had to shield during the pandemic.
Professor Tollerton said: "I am very grateful to those who submitted their memories for the audiobook. It's important we mark this unprecedented time which was so difficult and strange.
