Welcome to the second in our diary entries! This is where you can find out everything that the events team have been up to during lockdown. If you missed the first entry head here.
Jessica Paciej, Conference Producer
For whatever reason, quarantine has been fairly easy for me. It definitely helps living with people that I like and who, to my great joy, have a dog! But from a personal level, I’ve managed to reconnect with my creative side, something that I believed to belong to my childhood and uni days. I regret ever taking it for granted now as nothing makes me feel quite so proud as when I finish a crochet or embroidery project.
Of course, like a lot of people, if I were going to change anything it would be to at least know when I’m next going to see my parents again, who live abroad. Would definitely give a lot up to walk through the airport gates to them being embarrassingly happy to see me.
Chernice Parsley, Client Liaison Executive
When I realised it would be a while until we could all be in the office, I rescued our team plants and brought them home. Turning the house into something resembling a jungle! I am now an obsessive plant mum. I’m forever boring everyone with plant updates and questions and even ordering a few sneaky new plants.
I’ve been lucky enough to be with my parents during lockdown, who conveniently live 5 minutes from the beach! So I’ve been filling my time with sunset dog walks, bike rides and paddle boarding on the weekends. This is by far the longest time I’ve spent with my family in the past couple of years and it’s been really lovely. A real highlight was Fathers Day when my sisters and grandparents visited for a socially distanced barbecue. Although a little strange keeping apart, it was lovely to see everyone. I was even lucky enough to see my little niece have her first ice cream and to see her stand on her own. I can’t wait to give her cuddles when its safe to do so!
For now I’ll be sticking with cuddling our family dog Evie who has been my sidekick the past few months. She could probably be a Client Liaison Executive on her own now after sitting by my side for countless Zoom calls and listening to me air questions which Francesca, my desk neighbor, would normally have to endure.
Lockdown has definitely given me a new perspective and I feel grateful that my family and friends have stayed healthy and safe. For me, that is more than enough to ride this wave for as long as we need to.
Emily Hardy, Events Executive
Lockdown has been a bit of a roller coaster for me but in the best way possible. At the beginning of lockdown, I was living with my parents and it was great to spend lots of extra time with them. I also loved enjoying their garden as we were blessed with great weather in March. Midway through April I had the most exciting day I will have this year as I was able to move into my first home! Having all of the extra time has really allowed us to settle in and explore the area. It’s also meant that I’ve been in to receive the outrageous amount of things that I’ve been ordering online. This is something I definitely need to do less of after lockdown!
I’ve also been pushing myself to run a lot more. At the beginning of the year I was doing a weekly park run, but since being at home I’ve really upped the frequency and have loved seeing myself improve. After lots of practice, I took part in the Citywire Virtual 5k Charity Run. This was the first competitive run I’ve done in years and I got my personal best time! Since moving home, I have loved exploring new routes and enjoying all of the countryside views. It’s also made me realise how much being in nature improves my mood. Running is something I definitely want to keep up once we’re out of lockdown.
Overall, I’ve really loved the extra time at home to catch up on my own things, especially the amount I’ve been reading. I’ll miss all the time that I’ve been able to spend with my family and enjoying my new home. I’ll look back on this time as a real milestone in my life! However, I can’t wait to finally see my friends in real life instead of just on a screen! They’re definitely what I’ve missed most in lockdown.
