Inspired by Shakespeare’s ‘and so shines a good deed in a weary world’, Somerset author Anna James has produced a commemorative book celebrating the hard work and kindness seen across the country during the covid pandemic.

Anna spent six months interviewing key workers, everyday heroes and familiar faces along with charities and organisations, collating stories and photographs of their ‘good deeds’ and published the 350-page coffee table style book to celebrate their efforts and raise money for the NHS and other good causes.

The book features The Udder Farm Shop, along with contributions from NHS workers, dustbin men, cleaners and farmers along with home-schooling families, isolating couples and covid survivors and The Queen, Captain Tom, Ian Broudie, Banksy and Charlie Mackesy.
The book also features hundreds of photos of some of the things we’ve all been seeing and experiencing over the past 12 months.

Anna said: “I desperately wanted to do something to help but didn’t know how to be useful – I’m a bit squeamish with anything medical and always get lost, even with satnav, so I’d have been no good at volunteering to help people or deliver things. After a few sleepless nights, I decided to stick with what I’m good at and to create a special compilation of this most unusual moment in our history. I would make one of my commemorative books as my small gift to the national effort. 2020 was an unprecedented year with monumental challenges and heart- breaking sadness but amongst that, there was also exceptional hard work, adaptability and kindness. “Our humanity and community spirit shone in the darkness and I thought it was important to celebrate that, so we’ve got something to look back on and be proud of.”

Anna added: “I also thought it was important to record some of the things we were all seeing and experiencing – in years to come, when this is hopefully far behind us, will we remember the rainbows? That people joined forces in their thousands to make masks and scrubs for the NHS? Will we remember that we clapped outside, every Thursday night? That whole towns and cities were deserted and that shops ran out of toilet roll? I wanted to document some of that to help us remember; as a social history record for us to show our grandchildren, and for them to show theirs.”

“I am humbled to have become the caretaker of this most amazing collection of stories from all these everyday heroes who share what they did to help the country and each other, which are heart-warming and heart-wrenching in equal measures.
There isn’t a book big enough to include all the people who deserve to be mentioned, so this celebrates the stories of a few on behalf of the many – I just wish there were enough pages in the world to have included so many, many more.”

“I loved doing it – I’ve never felt so absolutely certain about anything, except for the many many wobbles when I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to do all these wonderful people justice but it’s turned out every bit as magical as I knew it could be.
“It’s probably the book none of us would ever have wanted but perhaps the one we all need, to remind ourselves what a kind and generous bunch we can be.”

Covid Kindness: UK 2020 is available to order at amazon.co.uk/Covid-Kindness-UK/dp/1527275825

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