Potterne, a Village in Lockdown - April, May, June, July 2020
a work in progress
As a photographer I felt it right to record, through imagery, the way this Wiltshire village has coped with the current pandemic and what effect it has had on us all. I’ve been bowled over by the resilience, kindness, selflessness and generosity that the majority of villagers have displayed. I am trying to photograph a cross-section of the community from the young to the elderly, those living on their own to large families. This is a sample of the work so far. With each photograph is a quote from each participant, relevant to their experience of this period.
I am still looking for people who are be willing to be photographed. It takes no more than 30 minutes and I keep to all the regulations around social distancing. If you live in Potterne and are willing to take part please contact me on 07904 965232 or email stuart.bridewell@gmail.com.
 Funeral of a well loved parishioner |  “...I keep busy and work from home in the mornings take a long lunch and do some more in the evenings. It’s similar to the outbreak of polio after the war but the media have made it worse....” |  “...not seeing my clients has been horrible. I really miss people...I’ve been surprised by how much I’ve got done in my home....” |
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 “...missing the sense of routine. I’ve been surprised, but shouldn’t have been, by how well the community is pulling together....” |  Funeral of a well loved parishioner |  “...living on the main road it’s bee noticeable how quiet it is. We can hear the birds....” |
 “...it has been lovely being really close family. I think it will be a much cleaner place after all this....” |  “In the South West we have been very lucky, the spread hasn’t been that great...” |  “...we hope the new norm is a positive one and that we can look after each other....” |
 “...I’m bored of being off work now for awhile. We’ve met new people sitting outside of an evening, all sorts of people walk by and say hello....” |  “...I want it to end for everybody else’s sake. We’ll have learnt a lot from this....” |  “...I’m trying to work out what it means to be a priest when you can’t be with the people, the wonderful people of our Benefice....” |
 “...it’s been brilliant how people have realised the local shop is here and they haven’t had to go to the big supermarkets....” |  “...If I didn’t have working from home, it’s given me a structure. ....I’m a hugger and I can’t do that at the moment and it hurts....” |  “...not working 24 hours a day and not seeing our customers, I’m actually missing it....” |
 “...we’ve really enjoyed being together more, but there has to be an end to this. We hope people will remain considerate when we come out of this....” |  “...we use the local shop a lot more. I pick up some shopping for the people I already get the papers for, they leave a list out the day before....” |  “...we think the world will be a better and cleaner place when we come out of this....” |
 “Coronavirus is going to be with us for a longtime...we’re going to have to learn to live with it...” |  “Having my husband around, that’s been the biggest difference for me...it’s been quite nice actually....” |