Inquiry visits East Anglia to hear people’s pandemic stories

  • Published: 8 August 2024
  • Topics: Every Story Matters

UK Covid-19 Inquiry staff were in Ipswich and Norwich this August, meeting local people to better understand their pandemic experiences.

Every Story Matters is the public’s opportunity to share the impact the pandemic had on them and their life with the UK Inquiry – without the formality of giving evidence or attending a public hearing.

The Inquiry is travelling to towns and cities across the UK to hear people’s stories and to encourage them to contribute to the evidence being compiled.

Inquiry staff visited Ipswich Town Hall on Monday 5 and Tuesday 6 August and The Forum in Norwich on Wednesday 7 August. Across the three days, over 700 people met with the Inquiry and shared their experiences.

I would like to thank every member of the public who took the time to come and see us in Ipswich and Norwich this week. Every story we heard was both unique and incredibly important, and we continue to be humbled and amazed by what people choose to share with us. We have heard of terrible hardship, but also stories of hope and communities coming together to help each other.

We are not a London-based Inquiry - we are travelling throughout the UK over the next six months. There are millions of stories out there about people’s experiences of family life, care, living with isolation, the workplace and home-schooling. We want to hear them all, to help us build a picture of how everyone was affected by the pandemic and help us learn lessons for the future.

Ben Connah, Secretary to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry

In the autumn the Inquiry continues to travel across the UK, visiting the Spectrum Centre in Inverness on Tuesday 3 September and the Rockfield Centre in Oban on Wednesday 4 and Thursday 5 September. All future confirmed Every Story Matters events will be updated here on the Inquiry’s website.

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Members of the public do not need to visit an event to contribute to Every Story Matters. They can do so right now.

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