How residents in this Mansfield street are keeping themselves entertained during lockdown

Nottinghamshire has been reported as one of the best areas in the country for adhering to social distancing guidelines, and here is one of the reasons why:

Charlotte Porter is 12 and lives with her mum Jodie and brother Bradley on Birkland Avenue in Mansfield Woodhouse.

She has enlisted the help of their neighbours to provide events to keep residents entertained and feeling connected.

It was her mum Jodie Ingram’s birthday and Charlotte was sad that they were unable to celebrate properly, so she suggested putting a note through neighbours’ doors to invite them out onto the street for a drink.

Another resident, Linda Bennett, a swimming instructor for 30 years at Rebecca Adlington Swimming Centre, then took this further by organising more events for the street.

Jodie explains: “We have a ‘wake and shake’ on a Monday morning, with elderly and vulnerable neighbours taking part from their bedroom windows.

“We hold quiz nights on the street, and when drivers go past we applaud as they are often NHS workers and delivery drivers.

“We have a ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ style night every Wednesday so all the neighbours can participate from their front gardens.

“Linda is truly amazing and my daughter is loving the involvement of developing her skills from school on the computer.

“She is printing and posting itineraries through all the letter boxes so everyone knows what is happening.”

What a fantastic idea and something that can easily be replicated throughout Mansfield and Ashfield.