A PLAY about the experiences of care home staff during the pandemic is being performed at local venues, to mark the fourth anniversary of lockdown.

When UK care homes locked down due to Covid in March 2020 it would be a year before anyone was allowed back inside, other than the staff who worked there. Voices from the Frontline, a research-based play, tells the story of that year from the inside, paying tribute to a group of frontline workers "often overlooked by the media".

During the pandemic the University of Bradford's Centre for Applied Dementia Studies research team carried out a study on the experiences of care home staff working with people who live with dementia during lockdown.

Says Dr Andrea Capstick, who was on the research team: "This was an immensely difficult time for them and the death toll was extremely high, yet they received very little publicity or public support by comparison with NHS staff.

"The research was carried out with funding from the University's Covid-19 Response and Recovery scheme, and the findings were subsequently turned into a short piece of verbatim theatre which was performed twice at the University's Theatre in the Mill in 2022.

"More recently we have been awarded funding by Bradford Council, through their Arts, Culture and Heritage awards scheme to perform the play in four community venues to mark the fourth anniversary of the lockdown this month."

Voices from the Frontline is performed tonight (Thursday March 21) at Caroline Street Social Club, Saltaire, at 7pm, with music from Saltenders.

Other performances are: Friday, March 22: City Hall at 2pm; Monday, March 25: Common Space, John Street, at 6pm; Thursday, March 28: Cottingley Community Centre at 1.30pm.

Email a.j.capstick@bradford.ac.uk