With the UK spending months in lockdown in 2020, millions across the country have been working from home and adjusting to doing their jobs remotely.
But not everyone has had the option to do so, with many industries brought to a standstill or badly affected, unemployment rates expected to hit the two million mark and many individuals finding themselves on furlough.
As a result, some are taking matters into their own hands, dreaming up creative and innovative ways to stay afloat and pivot their businesses to meet demand.
While coronavirus continues to spread that doesn’t mean that the world stops, here are three inspiring stories of lockdown hustle.
‘Demand has been so intense that we’ve actually run out of fabric.’
Belfast-based womenswear fashion designer, Ruedi Maguire, lost all his business overnight thanks to the pandemic and as people became more conscious about spending on essentials, with clothing became a luxury treat.
“Originally, I thought about creating a new collection just to be creative again,” he tells HuffPost UK. “I have a lot of fabrics and access to a studio where I can work safely in, but it came to my attention that many of my family and friends who work in the health service said there was a need for scrubs.”
Since the lockdown, Maguire has been spending his time making scrubs for free for nearby hospitals, family practices, care homes, and anyone else in need of them. At first, he was paying for materials out of his own pocket, but has created a fund where the donations received will cover the costs of purchasing fabric to create these items.
“Obviously, PPE is very official and has to be regulated and tested, but I had some previous general knowledge that I knew scrubs were quick, easy, and cheap to make. They needed to be comfortable and made from 50% polyester and 50% cotton, so that it could be washed at 68 degrees to kill the virus,” Maguire explains. “Demand has been so intense that we’ve actually run out of fabric. Hundreds and hundreds of people from all over north and south Ireland have been in touch.”
To keep up with the demand, the fashion designer has even roped in the help of his husband and found the experience rewarding: “Going from stylish, flamboyant occasionwear to making basic and utilitarian like scrubs has never crossed my path in my career,” he says. “It’s fashion with a purpose and it’s amazing to be doing something that helps.”
‘We’re working hard trying to adapt to what’s in people’s cupboards.’
Ryan Riley is founder of award-winning Life Kitchen, a non-for-profit cookery school in Sunderland, which helps people living with cancer, whose taste buds can change dramatically due to treatment – and now, those who have suffered taste loss due to Covid-19.
“When lockdown’s over we won’t be able to continue with our in-person classes because of such close working quarters,” Riley explains. “That’s why we’ve recently launched our Pineapple Tacos campaign, which is named after our most famous dish. Hoping that we’re able to get the funding from the National Lottery, we want to create and provide specialised online classes to support people in different areas in the UK. The money from funding and bodies will be used to provide gift cards that’ll cover the cost of the ingredients, so that we can truly remain free.”
Despite the challenging times, Riley has big plans to convert the cookery school into a mini TV studio to be able to host online and continue what they’ve been doing in the kitchen digitally.
“We’re very much focused on just trying to give people a really good experience,” he says. “Our recipes and ingredients are all developed with Professor Barry Smith, from the Centre for the Study of the Senses at the University of London and Life Kitchen’s principle is to create maximum flavour using ingredients that have umami, citrus, and spice. At the moment, we’re working hard trying to translate that across and adapt to what’s in people’s cupboards.”
Even with multiple awards for his work, a bestselling cookbook and endorsement from the likes of Nigella and Jay Rayner under Riley’s belt, Life Kitchen is based on delivering in-person classes, but with face-to-face not being a viable option anymore, it’s a crucial time to fight for the cookery school’s existence.
“We’ve had lots of people come to Life Kitchen and it’s been life-changing for them, but Covid-19 has really damaged us,” Riley confesses. “This might be our future for the year and it’s the next iteration of what we have to do because it’s just so important.”
‘Our programme is full, which is incredible after crashing out and hitting rock bottom like that.’
Professional storyteller Vanessa Woolf from London who owns London Dreamtime with her husband also depended on crowds of people and face to face contact. Since the pandemic, business was starting to dry up and future events that had been booked months in advance started to cancel.
“It’s been catastrophic,” she explains. “Being a storyteller it’s important to see the audience reacting and responding in real-time. You need to sense the mood in the room and read people’s body language in order to tell stories. You can’t get that online or on a video call on zoom, unless you are in a room with somebody.”
What makes matters worse, as soon as the lockdown happened Woolf and her family had coronavirus. They spent three weeks being incredibly ill with breathing problems and high temperatures.
“We all had horrible symptoms, I couldn’t even sit up let alone do anything else,” Woolf says. “Luckily, we’re all recovering now, but we’ve only just started to get back on our feet and hosting events again.”
Since then, they’ve moved everything online to bring people together and a story to life by video. Using projections to recreate locations, included props and costumes whilst her husband’s in charge of music, sounds, and visuals. Their next event is on Sunday 3rd May and will have another in a month’s time.
“We’re now busy doing storytelling for schools and other pop-ups. Our programme is full, which is incredible after crashing out and hitting rock bottom like that,” Woolf says. “Admittedly, it’s been so much harder because you’re not getting the energy from the audience, and when you can’t see that happening behind a camera.”