COVID 19 has changed society, disrupting the lives of many for the worse during a 2020 that became increasingly bleak. And with the virus has spread talk of how selfish people have been by not following the rules, and how the crisis has forced them to look after their own interests rather than each other.
However a report by the international More in Common research group suggests that social solidarity has in fact been on the rise during the coronavirus. In February 70% of people spoken to in the UK believed it’s “everyone for themselves” with only 30% thinking we look after each other, whereas by June the latter figure had risen to 54%. Other stats showed that in June 77% of respondents reported that the pandemic had reminded them of our “common humanity” and 57% said they had a heightened awareness of the living conditions of other people.
But is the research accurate? More in Common is only about three years old and has not had a chance to earn a reputation for rigorous reasearch quite yet. Furthermore their front page reads: “ Our organization’s name reflects our vision: to build more united, inclusive and resilient societies in which people believe that what they have in common is stronger than what divides them”.
So is there an issue here of potential confirmation bias? With that in mind we set out to look at how accurate what was reported in this survey is, in East London anyway, in the run up to Christmas. And the good news is that we found a lot of evidence online of the community coming together at Christmas. Here are just some of the coronavirus acts of East London kindness that we found:
- From Canning town, St Matthias’ Church are delivering over 100 gift boxes full of Christmas treats to Newham residents. People can nominate anyone living in E16, E15 or E13 postcodes who may be facing a hard Christmas due to COVID-19 by sending an email. The Christmas Gift Box will be delivered anonymously.
- Year 7 children of Forest Gate school have made Christmas hampers for families to donate to the Magpie Project, which will be delivered in time for Christmas. These thoughtful youngsters collected food, drinks and other gifts to make the hamper.
- Spitalfields Crypt Trust help people struggling with homelessness and addiction. For people in recovery, isolation has been difficult, so SCT staff and volunteers have been making every effort to keep everyone connected, through virtual quizzes, art classes, crosswords, online yoga, and more.
- Wiilma is a local East London charity dedicated to hosting, entertaining and catering for vulnerable and isolated community members. This Christmas they’re hosting an online Christmas concert, which will see musicians from The Royal Albert Hall perform alongside dancers from local groups; and a special tribute to George Michael. On pound is made for the charity for each person logging on to Facebook live/YouTube.
- Bonny Downs Community Association has been serving East Ham and the surrounding areas of Newham with its foodbank since 2013. This December they will be providing their foodbank guests with a hot takeaway Christmas lunch, including turkey with all the trimmings and alternatives for vegetarian diets. And if they raise enough, they’ll be able to add some sweet treats and a small gift too.