As lockdown is gradually lifted and we approach the start of the term, I feel there isn’t a great amount that can be said that hasn’t been covered over the course of this series of articles. For me, quarantine has been a slow, grumbling ride. The consolation that can be taken in trying to describe […]
In 2017, I had something of a mental breakdown. I could not afford to go travelling after finishing my A Levels, so it seemed like the next best thing. The term ‘breakdown’ implies something of a spectacle in the context of mental health, but in reality, mine was neither dramatic nor sudden. It was not […]
Over the past week my phone has been filled with people’s lives going back to normal. It’s all freshly dyed hair, dinner and drinks, and spontaneous holidays. I scroll and see nothing but smiles, faces relieved that this period of boredom and monotony seems to be drawing to a close. Quarantine gave me no choice […]
My name is Jamie, and until the 30th of June this year I was President of the Students’ Association at the University of St Andrews. While I wouldn’t say my former job ranks anywhere near the most challenging to do during a pandemic, the experience has at least been interesting enough that I think it’s […]
It has been over 4 months now since St Patrick’s Day celebrations in St Andrews were cancelled and our university closed its doors for the foreseeable future. At least… I think it’s been 4 months, as Jeremy Usborne (Robert Webb) of Peep Show explained in an old clip that popped up on my Facebook Watch […]
Earlier this month the government announced a £1.57bn support package aiming to “protect Britain’s world-class cultural, arts and heritage institutions” after weeks of lobbying from industry leaders. The support package from the government includes: A £1.15bn support pot for cultural organisations in England delivered through a mix of grants and loans. This will be made up […]
“Oh wait, let me grab my mask.” A simple six-word phrase none of us thought we would have engrained in our brains, but here we are. Here we are in a world that seems so uncertain, full of dull daily routines and bright phone screens at 3am. But then again, here we are in a […]
The virus has forced all organisations to create contingency plans in order to cope with the unpredictable circumstances of our time. For Junction 42, a prison ministry charity well-known for creating bright futures for ex-offenders and vulnerable people, not being physically allowed into the prisons has caused them to change their strategy. Prisoners have been […]
My first year in St Andrews abridged, I’ve returned across the Forth to Edinburgh. Following the news of a looming global lockdown, the halls emptied as people rushed to make the last flights home. The corridors became silent. Without my friends, the old building intimidated me. I just wanted to go home. As I put […]
There is a sketch in season 1, episode 3 of Monty Python’s Flying Circus called Stolen Newsreader that I have been thinking about a lot recently. It goes something like this: John Cleese begins to read the six o’clock news in calm, even tones when suddenly several bandits burst through the door. They fire their […]