"Be brave to choose the things that you want to do" - Pat's journey out of lockdown.

“I think lockdown has taught us that we should no longer do things that we don’t enjoy, and we shouldn’t let other people influence us either. Be brave to choose the things that you want to do, and be brave to tell people when they are making you feel uncomfortable.”

Pat started life in rural Lincolnshire then went to Reading, followed by London, Paris, back to London, then settling in Lincoln for more than twenty years.  She moved to Bristol eight years ago to be close to two of her sons. She had an active career from working in computing and writing early operating systems to setting up an educational enterprise involving history performances for schoolchildren using costumes she made herself.  

Since moving to Bristol, Pat has volunteered with Bristol Ageing Better (BAB) and the Bristol Older People’s Forum (BOPF). 

Pat says that what made lockdown bearable for her was having access to online resources. One of her sons helped her download podcasts and audio books, she has ‘virtually’ attended seminars over Zoom and she also began to use Facebook more. Pat wrote blogs for BOPF’s Facebook page, “My aim was to try and cheer people and give people things to think about mental resources that they could use.” She said. 

Pat and another volunteer have been running BOPF’s online meetup mornings as a way of helping older people make new social connections during lockdown. “We prepare topics for the meetups; the first one was how people were coping with lockdown back in February, so current affairs, we also chat about our memories of school and holidays from years ago.” The meetup mornings take place every 3 weeks on a Thursday from 10.30am-12.00pm via Zoom and will be continuing post-lockdown as many people continuing to shield or decide they are not ready for in-person activities yet.   

Changes in national restrictions mean that it is no longer obligatory for people to wear masks, however, Pat said, “If you are comfortable using a mask then use it, same with handwashing solutions. It is all about making yourself comfortable so that you can do the things you enjoy.

I think lockdown has taught us that we should no longer do things that we don’t enjoy, and we shouldn’t let other people influence us either,” said Pat. “Be brave to choose the things that you want to do, and be brave to tell people when they are making you feel uncomfortable. We should acknowledge to ourselves what we enjoy doing and get out there and do it again.”

To build up confidence for going to cafes or restaurants, Pat suggested first going to ones that have outdoor seating areas. She attends the BS3 Social Group which, by agreement of members, now meets at the Tobacco Factory as this has a large outside area which made members of the group feel more comfortable.

This story is a part of Age UK Bristol and the Support Hub’s ‘First Step to Reconnect’ campaign, supporting and enabling people over 50 to rebuild their confidence in connecting with their community post-lockdown. To find out more about the online meetup group that Pat helps run, visit www.bopf.org.uk