'You don’t have to be a celebrity to make an impact': Big Issue's Covid heroes, five years on

In 2021 Big Issue celebrated the heroes of the Covid-19 pandemic in our annual Changemakers list, spotlighting those who stepped up and met the challenges of the 2020 Covid crisis head-on. Five years since the UK lockdown came into place, we caught up with some of our 2021 Changemaker cohort to hear their reflections on projects which started during unprecedented times, and how they’ve applied what they learned to their work today.

Jess Collins

Letters sent by Jess warmed the hearts of strangers around the world. The copywriter from Cornwall handwrote 100 cards during the pandemic and sent them to people in the UK, Ireland, Germany, Spain and the US.

Looking back, what motivated you to start your project during the pandemic?

Everyone seemed so isolated during the pandemic and it was actually quite frightening to lose our sense of community so quickly. I thought letters would be a wonderful way to reach people and connect in a way that the world doesn’t anymore. In the modern world of technology and apps, I still believe nothing beats a handwritten letter and I got the opportunity to write to people all around the world, which was incredible. It was really born from the desire for connection during a period of isolation.

How did your project evolve over the course of the pandemic, and how did it impact those you were supporting or engaging with?

The biggest thing was the replies. I planned to write letters but I never thought anyone would write back. It was amazing and heartwarming to read letters from strangers, all going through the same shared experience but with their own unique story. 

Is your initiative still running today?

No, I only did the project during the pandemic, and I’m kind of glad I did because actually committing to 100 letters was pretty tough while homeschooling and working. I definitely took on more than I could handle but it was such an incredible, once in a lifetime project. I learned that people still love to receive a letter and that connection is everywhere if you reach out. I’m still doing the odd micro-project where I can, my most recent that I’m about to launch is my “Run Riffs” where I will give marketing advice via voice note for those donating to a charity I work with (Georgia’s Voice). This gives me the opportunity to help entrepreneurs who might not be able to afford professional marketing support but at a price they can afford for a great cause. I will literally record these running (which is often when I reply to my client voice notes) and I thought it would help me get fitter and be good for my mental health as well so it’s a win-win. Although, if it ends up taking off like the letter project my poor body will be in agony! 

What was the most unexpected or rewarding part of your journey during the pandemic?

It was remembering the importance of human connection. It’s so easy to live in a world with our heads down, on our phones, in our private worlds. I feel so upset when I see people at a bus stop on their phones and not looking at each other so this was really an unexpected bonus for me, that I changed my mindset and reached out to people more. Alongside the letter writing project I was a telephone volunteer to help those who were alone during the pandemic and again, that was really rewarding. The company paired me with a retired English teacher who had lost his wife and he loved our conversations and asked me to send me some of my writing (as I am also a writer). These conversations with the people I was partnered with were some of my favourite moments of the pandemic – talking to people at different ages and stages of life and just talking from the heart. None of the filters or fakery of social media, just stripped back authentic conversations and connection. Since then I have gone on to do a bit of other charity support work, nothing too impressive but I work with an estate agency where one of the negotiators lost his daughter to Sepsis so I did some coaching work in exchange for donations to The Sepsis Trust and I have recently begun working with a Cornish charity, Georgia’s Voice who support young women and girls with mental health difficulties. It’s so rewarding being a part of this.

Given what you know now, what advice would you offer to others who want to make a difference in their communities, especially during times of crisis?

Just do it. I remember when I started this I didn’t think anybody would be interested in receiving a letter from me but it snowballed. You don’t have to be an influencer or a celebrity to make an impact. Those letters genuinely made a difference to people. It doesn’t matter how small a fish you are in the pond, you still have the power to make a difference and what I have learned through this work is that during a crisis, that’s when we need to make a difference. Your words could change someone’s life, they could even save someone’s life. 

How do you feel about the legacy of your work in 2020 and how it has shaped what you’re doing now?

I don’t think about it very much now but this has given me an opportunity to reflect on it all. It was such a shock to be featured in The Big Issue Changemaker edition for something that back then I considered so very small and not worthy of a space in the top 100! But looking back now, I feel so proud at what I’ve done and your feature is one of the biggest highlights of my career, because it serves as a reminder that even though I’ve been shortlisted for awards, written for huge publications, had my own columns locally and nationally and met royalty – writing these letters had the biggest impact and it’s changed my attitude and my ethos in my own work and reminded me of what matters and what my values are. How important it is to me that my work and my life has meaning. My legacy (or my letter-gacy) is that I will forever be a change maker and a feral writer – perhaps I will do a part 2! So if any readers would like a letter or a Run Riff, message me on Instagram @theferalwriter where it all began and something handwritten and heartfelt might wing its way to you!

UK Says No More

UK Says No More, a national campaign by crisis support charity Hestia to raise awareness to end domestic abuse and sexual violence, launched the Safe Spaces scheme in partnership with the General Pharmaceutical Council during the pandemic. People experiencing domestic abuse can access support in the consultation rooms of participating pharmacies across the UK. Sue Harper, Deputy Director of Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Prevention at Hestia tells us what happened next.

Looking back, what motivated you to start your project during the pandemic?

Before the pandemic, we had been piloting a scheme to provide a community response to domestic abuse. Somewhere that anyone experiencing domestic abuse could go in their local community to get support, and in a way that would not arouse suspicion from their abuser. Then the pandemic hit.

As soon as we went into lockdown, we knew that cases of domestic abuse would rise because home was not a safe place for so many people. Overnight, victims lost access to many routes to support – from seeing family and friends to going to their doctors. So, we knew we needed to do something different and do it quickly.

On 1 May 2020, the Safe Spaces scheme was launched by Hestia’s UK Says No More campaign, providing a safe place for victims of domestic abuse in pharmacies across the UK. We started with Boots and others quickly came on board – it was amazing to see so many organisations working together to respond to domestic abuse at such a challenging time.

How has your initiative developed since 2020?

Sue Harper, Deputy Director of Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Prevention at Hestia said: Today we have around 4,400 Safe Spaces on UK high streets – now in both banks and pharmacies, and our online equivalent is available on over 60 websites including Royal Mail and British Gas. We’ve also trained over 66,000 professionals to deliver the scheme.

In the years since we launched, we have worked hard to grow Safe Spaces while maintaining the high quality of the scheme and making it even more inclusive, for instance signposting specialist LGBTQ+ helplines. Ultimately, we always come back to thinking about the survivor and their journey – we want everyone to be able to find accessible support when they need it.

We are incredibly grateful for the support of our amazing partners, who are helping us work towards our aim of having a Safe Space on every UK high street.”

How do you feel about the legacy of your work in 2020 and how it has shaped what you’re doing now?

It’s so difficult to estimate the impact of the scheme, which is used completely anonymously for obvious safety reasons. But one day we got an email out of the blue from a survivor who had used the scheme to escape an abusive relationship. She told us: ‘I can’t tell you how much of a difference the scheme made to me. I felt deeply unsafe that day and your [Safe Spaces] scheme gave me protection and support so that I could gather my strength and do what I needed to do for my children and myself.’

Getting emails like that inspires us to keep on developing Safe Spaces and reaching more people who need us. It may have started during the pandemic but it’s so much bigger than that now.

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