We stayed at home or walked the empty streets, the birds still sang, the flowers bloomed; we thanked the NHS and thought of those we lost.’ My panel reflects my feelings and memories of the first lockdown in 2020. I had previously done textile work based on maps, so I chose to represent the empty streets we walked round, enjoying the quiet, the birdsong and the emerging spring flowers. I was fortunate as being retired I had no work to worry about and no caring responsibilities, as my parents passed away some years ago and my grandchildren were 150 and 10,000 miles away. I made mask covers for the NHS and on behalf of Age UK I phoned elderly people, shielding or lonely, to offer comfort and support. Although I have not lost anyone very close to me to Covid, I have struggled with the inevitability of the rising number of deaths and the mistakes made. My textile work is usually done with free machine embroidery, but lockdowns gave me time to explore more hand stitching so I have incorporated both in this panel. This is an inspiring project and I look forward to seeing the finished hanging. Thank you.