There has been a stark difference in the community response to the UK’s first national lockdown and England’s second – gone are the days of Thursday evening NHS applauses, Zoom quizzes and afternoon park picnics. No one’s interested in Facetime dates, or good-news stories of community comradery, or even baking a sourdough. Instead, the public has been asked to stay indoors, continue to work from home and restrict their social bubbles, in a desperate effort by the Tory government to ‘save Christmas’.
And while we continue to follow expert advice to protect the most vulnerable in our communities (and it’s much easier to get toilet roll and flour this time around), with national unemployment rising, continued limited socialising and diminishing sunlight, many experts have expressed their concerns on the impact of lockdown 2.0 on the country’s mental health.
That’s where Sick Love Zine are ready to step in and save your Friday night. In a bid to lift our collective spirits and have us all dancing in our living rooms, the magazine is hosting Living La Vida Lockdown, an online gig featuring Eliza Legzdina, July Jones, Lagoon Femshayma, Mynxie and Suzi Wu. BRICKS favourites Femme Collective will be hosting the gig and getting you up off your feet in no time.
I was going to miss socialising, fun and spending money, but for vulnerable families, this was far more serious and going onto furlough or potentially losing their jobs could leave many adults and children in crisis this Christmas.
Isobel Gorman-Buckley
“I had the idea for Living La Vida Lockdown following the second lockdown announcement. The idea of being locked in for another month was really disheartening, but I had other people in mind but myself,” says Isobel Gorman-Buckley, founder of Sick Love Zine. “The announcement came shortly after the Tories rejection of the free school meals scheme and my thoughts were focused on vulnerable families across the country who seemed to be taking blow after blow this year. I was going to miss socialising, fun and spending money, but for them, this was far more serious and going onto furlough or potentially losing their jobs could leave many adults and children in crisis this Christmas.”
More than just a fun way to spend your Friday, Living La Via Lockdown will also be fundraising for Clacton Food Bank. “For me, an online party was the best option for raising money, as it injected some fun back into lockdown whilst also supporting those who need it most,” says Isobel. “After doing some research I found out about Jaywick and in turn Clacton Food Bank.”
The seaside town of Jaywick in Essex has been named the most deprived area in England overall for the third time in a row since 2010. 57% of Jaywick’s residents live in “income deprivation”, meaning they’re either unemployed or earning so little they have to rely on benefits.
Isobel explains, “I chose to support Clacton Food Bank as its community may need the extra support in the next few months and I wanted to make sure that our money went to the people who needed it the most.”
The online gig raising funds for the food bank will be hosted over Zoom with tickets starting from as little as £2.50, and tiered options available for those able to donate more. To read more about the event and buy your ticket for tonight, check out the event on Eventbrite. For more information from Sick Love Zine, follow them on Instagram and Twitter.
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