As the coronavirus lockdown rolls into its seventh week, some people are still finding ways to keep their spirits up.
Voice of the valley
An opera singer’s weekly performance to cheer up his village is so loud it can be heard three miles away.
Tenor John Hudson lives in Piddle Valley, in Dorset, and its natural acoustics help carry his booming voice across the countryside.
Hudson, 58, who would be on a tour of Sweden now but for the lockdown, has taken to singing on his doorstep every Thursday at 6pm before the “clap for carers”.
“We thought it would be great if I went out in the front yard as we have this fantastic acoustic over the valley. It’s like an echoing, you can hear things for miles away,” he said.
“We went out for a walk a couple of days ago and a guy who lives three miles away asked me: ‘Are you the singer?’ He said he sits in his garden and listens to me.”
Hudson has sung for the English, Welsh and Scottish national operas.
Neighbour Vicky Steven said: “John has got one of the most joyous voices I have ever heard in my life. He brings that to our lovely village and it’s magical. You can see people dotted around the fields listening.”
Every little helps
Fans of football heroes who are less than an inch tall are buying up mini matchday advertising space to raise cash for NHS charities.
Unable to flick-to-kick in large numbers at tournaments, Subbuteo players are instead screening one-on-one games via an app.
The filmed matches are staged from plastic stadiums complete with crowds of fans, team dugouts – and advertising hoardings. Money raised from sponsorship of the hoardings goes to the health service.
Adrian Hollands, a lifelong Subbuteo player, was one of the people who came up with the idea. “It has gone down really well within the Subbuteo Online Whatsapp group and on Twitter,” he said. “All funds are going to NHS Charities Together, which is an official eBay charity, so they will see that every single penny raised goes to them. They’ll do all the leg work … I just sell the product.”
Hollands said anyone in the Subbuteo community worldwide could join the charity drive via @ProjectSubbuteo on Twitter.
Read my (masked) lips
As more people opt to wear face masks outside, one woman in Gateshead set herself a challenge of designing a covering that would allow people who are deaf or hard of hearing to communicate.
The Newcastle Chronicle reported that Helen Botcherby was inspired by her friend, who works as a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter, to create a mask to make life easier for those who rely on lip-reading.
Using materials bought from Aldi, including plastic wallets, she created a mask with a small see-through section in front of the mouth.
“I’m quite creative. I have an embroidery machine and an industry sewing machine as I used to be a machinist in the past,” she told the paper. “Pauline got in touch and I thought there must be a way to do it. I’ll do anything to help anyone. I’m just over the moon that I can do something to make a difference.”
Head over heels
A nine-year-old girl in Darlington is raising money for her gymnastics club, which is facing financial hardship, by cartwheeling for 12 and a half miles.
Evah Byrne plans to do a total of 6,666 cartwheels to raise money for Newton Aycliffe leisure centre.
Her dad, Dave, told the Northern Echo: “Anyone who knows Evah will be aware that she spends most of her life upside down, so we thought we might as well put it to good use. We’re really proud of the way she’s stuck to the task every day.”
