BRANCH LEAD STORY UNLOCKED

Unlocked roundup: a look back on a memorable newsweek

We’ve been hard at work this week bringing you original content around the topic of coronavirus and other issues. Working across four teams, we’ve been writing articles, making videos, and producing podcasts and one minute radio bulletins to bring people up to speed on the latest goings-on and to lift the lid on the lives of people from all different backgrounds.

In the news team, we’ve covered a range of hard-hitting topics, many of which were centred around the themes of loneliness and isolation, especially when it came to the elder generation. These included delving into the lives of those living and working in care homes as well as chronically ill people who are having to overcome daily struggles of lockdown life. These kinds of stories have been at the heart of national news recently, and are topics which deserve to be talked about.

Over the last weekend, there was some drama when it was found that Boris Johnson’s chief advisor had driven four hours to see family while he had COVID-19 symptoms. Our reporter Jaimie covered this excellently, asking: is it ever okay to break the lockdown rules, and if so, when?

Then on Thursday May 28 we had what might be the final Clap for Carers, as thousands came out to pay respects to key workers, with our reporter Nat measuring the public feeling towards the event both in Cheltenham and beyond.

We’ve also done lighter stories such as a special series called ‘Lockdown Essentials’, where we’ve been speaking to public figures in the local area about what’s getting them through lockdown. Another series we’ve been running is ‘Your Daily Good News Update’, where we’ve been focusing on uplifting stories to give you something to smile about.

The team has been looking to the future as well, focusing on upcoming events such as local festivals and how they may be affected, as well as schools and when they may go back to normality.

Our features team have been focusing on a range of different areas, including lifestyle, mental health, and women’s issues. Stand-out stories that have been written have looked at orchestras and how they are functioning at the moment, how lockdown is changing lives for the better, and what it’s like to be pregnant during a pandemic.

We’ve also had a dedicated audio team who have been doing regular bulletins on a spectrum of areas. They’ve been covering hard news, sport, entertainment and all thing non-coronavirus related. They’ve also been dipping into the world of podcasts on top of the regular bulletins to bring you up to date with their thoughts on stories.

The social media and video team have been busy throughout the week as well, promoting our content and engaging with the public in the online sphere. They’ve also been responsible for the brilliant ‘Day in the Life’ video series, following the lives of normal people through lockdown. Among those featured in this series are key workers, ranging from nurses to supermarket staff, as well as pensioners who are finding lockdown a gruelling experience.

Overall, while there have been stresses and pressures that always come with newsweeks, this time with the added element of having to communicate virtually, we’ve all managed to pull together and make it a successful and memorable experience.

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