A SERIES OF THOUGHTS AND MUSINGS FROM CASTLE ROCKIANS DURING THE COVID-19 CRISIS.
A Message from Viv Anderson, MBE
Lockdown has been a testing time for me. Like other parents, I have been juggling home-working with home-schooling. Keen to keep up the children’s fitness – both my children are sports mad – we have spent a lot of time out walking and cycling, as well as honing football skills in the park and garden.
Work has thrown up even more challenges. At Playonpro we aim to give ex-sports people opportunities and work. As all of our Q&As, dinners and sporting events have been cancelled, we have concentrated on gathering our ambassadors to join us in a “keep in touch” online campaign. We have been overwhelmed by the response with over 160 of our former sports stars recording their message on how loneliness and isolation is a huge issue during lockdown for many people, and why it is so important to pick up the phone. We have shared the messages on social media and WhatsApp.
The need to communicate differently has made me pick up new IT skills. I’ve learnt to use Zoom and Houseparty. We have successfully mastered Zoom at work and have twice weekly calls between our Playonpro team who work in Dubai, Singapore and Bowdon.
As well as discussing work matters, it’s been interesting to compare the lockdown rules in the different countries. UAE and Singapore seemed to lock down harder; UAE required permits to leave the house.
The kids are massively into TikTok but they haven’t persuaded me to join them yet. I have done various online challenges for charity, including a keepy-uppy for Teesside Hospice and I’m about to take part in a Manchester United/Manchester City competition to raise funds for EatWell MCR, the Manchester charity feeding vulnerable Mancunians and NHS workers.
We are now talking to our partners and sponsors to find ways to work together to promote businesses as they come out of lockdown and function in the new-normal we will all need to adjust to.
I am so looking forward to being able to go to a pub and drink a proper pint of lager with friends. We’re hoping this will be possible in July, so not much longer!
Cheers!
Viv Anderson MBE
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