Every Story Matters is the largest public engagement exercise ever undertaken by a UK public inquiry.
It gave people the opportunity to help the UK Covid-19 Inquiry understand their experience of the pandemic.
A thank you from the Chair, Baroness Hallett
On 23 May 2025, Every Story Matters closed as the Inquiry reached the end of this vital phase of gathering stories to inform investigations. Over 58,000 stories have been shared with us and we are grateful to everyone who has taken the time and played a part in this historically significant work.
Every Story Matters Records
Every story shared will feed into the Inquiry’s investigations and will be brought together to create a record of the pandemic. These records are submitted as formal evidence during the hearings and support the Inquiry Chair, Baroness Hallett, to make recommendations for the future.
Every Story Matters records have already been used in hearings alongside witness testimonies and expert reports and they will continue to be used until the end of the Inquiry.
Accessible versions
A brief summary of each Every Story Matters record will be available in easy-read, BSL, audio and Welsh.
The Module 3, Module 4 and Module 7 in briefs have already been published.
Support
Help is available if you need it
The UK Covid-19 Inquiry offers access to Hestia – a company with qualified counsellors to provide confidential emotional support by phone or video call. You can talk to them if you have difficult or strong feelings about having shared your experience. If you’ve started to share your experience with us and you are finding it is bringing up strong feelings, you can pause and contact Hestia for support. You can also arrange to receive a follow up call with a counsellor if you have shared your experience but would like to talk about the feelings it brought up or the impact on your well-being.
You can refer yourself to the service by sharing your name and contact details with Hestia by:
- calling 0800 2465617 or
- emailing: covid19inquiry.support@hestia.org
Someone will return your call within 48 hours to arrange a support session.
This is not a crisis service so if you feel you cannot keep yourself safe, please contact 111 and select option 2 to speak with a healthcare professional.
You can visit our support page for more information on Hestia and on alternative support organisations which may be more suitable for you.