Dr Kristopher Lovell

The news of the firebreak in Wales is not unexpected but I’m unexpectedly distressed about it. Having just built up the confidence to create a bubble with some friends, we started going for walks more regularly and that contact was like a buoy in a rough ocean. Now that’s gone.

On top of that my work load has increased and I’m working with people who are highly anxious and stressed about the situation. It’s difficult to hold optimism for them when I can’t find it myself.

The government makes decisions about lockdowns, turning a blind eye again to groups of people who need support: pregnant people and those with mental health issues in particular spring to mind. They’ve denied free meals to hungry children. It’s harder and harder to find hope.