April 2025 – 1ST SOUTH WALSHAM GUIDES UNVEIL THEIR “LOOK BACK TO LOCKDOWN” BANNER
A banner made by members of 1st South Walsham Guides, who meet at St Lawrence’s, has gone on display in the centre to mark the fifth anniversary of the start of the Covid lockdown.
The textile wall hanging is made up of individual hexagonal pieces which the Guides were challenged to decorate in a way which represented what the lockdown had meant to them.
The hexagons show the girls and their leaders enjoyed activities such as reading, sewing, painting, walking and bird watching.
Face-to-face Guide meetings ended in March 2020 and did not resume until the summer of 2021, when the unit was allowed to get together outdoors. During that time, regular Guide meetings were held online with activities including cooking, games and even a virtual camp. It was only in October 2021 that Guide meetings were held inside St Lawrence’s once again.
Chris Bond, who was leader at the time, said the project had taken a while to complete, but felt it was important to have a lasting record of how life was in 2020.
“The pandemic was a difficult time for many people but the banner shows that the Guides and their leaders took from it some positive things, such as spending more time with family and appreciating gardens and nature,” she said.
The banner is on display inside St Lawrence’s Centre which is open to the public every day.