The UK Covid-19 Inquiry has held its final Every Story Matters public events with hundreds of honest, raw and emotional conversations taking place in Manchester, Bristol and Swansea.
More than 1,300 members of the public met the UK Covid-19 Inquiry team earlier this month to help the Inquiry with its investigations and to better understand people’s pandemic experiences.
These Every Story Matters events have been the largest public engagement exercise ever undertaken by a UK public Inquiry. Over the last 18 months, the public has been encouraged to engage with the work of the Inquiry at 25 events the length and breadth of the UK. The Inquiry team travelled to cities and towns in all four nations, talking to over 10,000 people in places as far apart as Southampton, Oban, Enniskillen, Leicester and Llandudno.
Every Story Matters is the public’s opportunity to share the impact the pandemic had on their life with the UK Covid-19 Inquiry – without the formality of giving evidence or attending a public hearing.
I would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to come and see us as we have visited towns across the UK. Every story we heard was unique and incredibly important, and we were amazed by what people chose to share with us. We have heard of missed opportunities, daily challenges, bereavements and illness, but also of communities coming together and new ways of connecting with our communities and loved ones.
The team has worked incredibly hard to make this Inquiry as relevant and accessible as possible for the public. There is still time to share your story via our website, everystorymatters.co.uk
Manchester, Bristol and Swansea
The Inquiry held open sessions inside Manchester Town Hall on Thursday 6 and Friday 7 February and in The Galleries shopping centre in Bristol the following week. The final Every Story Matters public event was held in the LC2 Centre in Swansea’s Maritime Quarter on Friday 14 and Saturday 15 February. Members of the public met with Inquiry staff to tell their pandemic story, either on a 1-2-1 basis in private pods, or online via the Inquiry website via the tablets provided. Professional counsellors were on hand at all times to support staff and the public.
Once stories are captured, the UK Covid-19 Inquiry produces themed records based around the experiences of the UK public during the pandemic. These are then considered by the Inquiry Chair, Baroness Heather Hallett, as she makes her recommendations for the future.
To date the Inquiry has released two records, the first detailing the public’s experiences of Healthcare, which was released in September 2024, with the second dealing with Vaccines and therapeutics published in January of this year.
Although there will be no further public Every Story Matters events, you can still share your story on the Inquiry website.