People across the Diocese of Chester have all been affected by the pandemic. This has presented various challenges in all kinds of ways. One area of change experienced by many has been how our working lives have been transformed. The regular commute to work, the conversations at the water cooler, the lunchtime knitting groups, seeing a customer smile in appreciation – these social interactions have all but disappeared for many.
There’s a certain sense of loss in the air, not only for the people who have suffered from Covid, but also from what we used to have as a society, of being able to be in close proximity to colleagues and friends, to share a packet of biscuits at tea break or give a consoling hug to someone who is feeling a bit down. But there’s also strength and resilience among people too, who have been able to adapt and overcome in ways that they themselves might not have thought possible at the start of the year.
Here, we look at the stories of four people from across the Diocese of Chester who have seen their jobs change dramatically as result of the pandemic - and the impact that it has all had on their faith at work during the last few months.
Kathryn Magiera, Head Teacher of Witton Church Walk Primary School, Northwich.
As a head teacher, Kathryn found it “Quite tough” to have to send children home at the start of lockdown, never really knowing when she might see them again.
For her it was important that the school’s Christian values and worship could continue is some way, so they started to have virtual worship for the children. Kathryn says: “The families and our carers really appreciated the worship on a Monday morning” adding, “The main thing was keeping our vison alive as a school”.
As well as maintaining contact with the children, Kathryn believes that it’s just as important to keep in touch with the staff, using WhatsApp to check in and support each other to keep spirits up, which in turn impacted on the children.
Simon Wain, Train Conductor on the Trans-Pennine Express
Simon remembers the transition to lockdown, saying “Overnight suddenly going from 250 / 300 passengers on a train to 6, it was almost post-apocalyptic”. Simon recalls just how empty the stations were. There were so few people that Simon recalls how nature started to take over on the platforms and that he even saw two geese take up residence at York station, making a nest in the foyer and laying eggs.
In terms of how Simon’s interaction with passengers altered, literally overnight he says, “There was very little interaction between me and anybody else. The only person I would really talk to at any time was the driver. So it was very strange.” Not being able to interact with people as Simon used to will be an experience shared by everyone to a larger or lesser extent. But for those who are used to dealing directly with the public, it has made a big difference to their working lives and the sense of achievement that can be had from seeing a customer smile in appreciation for a job well done.
It’s been a quiet period in many ways which has given him time to think about gifts from God. “The quite times have been very beneficial” says Simon.
Gemma Harrop, Reporting Radiographer at Tameside Hospital
Working in a hospital puts Gemma very much on the front line of the pandemic.
“The GPs stopped sending us patients and we just had Covid patients to look after” says Gemma who has seen a real difference. Staff have been off work with shielding, and when they return, they can’t be in a patient facing role at the moment, which puts additional strains on the NHS and the staff. Gemma says she is really proud of working in the NHS, “I’ve never felt so proud before.” She says that this is her vocation adding “I realise that God did have a plan”.
The Revd Dr Jenny McKay, Veterinary Pathologist and curate at St Mary's, Great Budworth
Jenny is a minister working in a secular environment as a veterinary pathologist. Prior to the pandemic she worked in a large laboratory in Yorkshire, which meant lots of travel and time away from home. It’s been quite a dramatic change for Jenny in that she now works from home remotely. One of the main challenges is that she has had to find new ways to communicate with those that she used to speak with face to face.
“I miss the coffee room conversations and just the general questions about faith when people bump into you” says Jenny. Developing social media skills has been essential in enabling her to continue to offer pastoral support to her colleagues and to keep in touch socially. Her twitter account ‘@TheReverendVet’ has given her a voice that helps Jenny keep in touch with colleagues friends and many others. Jenny says of the pandemic that “ iI’s just brought faith more to my daily life and I think it’s enabled me to be a bit more reflective and also a little bit calmer in what’s been such a stage and bust time.”
Listen to the Everyday faith in the work place during a pandemic podcast on Google now.
This and other podcast from the Dicoese of Chester are available on a variety of platforms, which you can read about on an earlier news item titled Diocesan podcast now on additional platforms.