Allan Coleby

Lockdown At Woodside Allan Coleby

The Year That Changed the World'. So said many commentators about 2020. Everyday living slowed, communications shrank and societies crumbled as a sub-microscopic particle of life, 'Coronavirus-19', swept through every nation, cutting down vast swathes of humanity everywhere it went. Political influence, military might and economic power became irrelevant. The leaders in the fight against it were doctors in hospitals and scientists who toiled in bio-chemical research laboratories. The battle was for human survival and was fought not in the arenas of war, but in hospitals, private houses and care homes. Care homes for the elderly distilled the essence of this drama within themselves. In 'Woodside Lodge' we see this fight for survival through the eyes of a young recruit carer, Nicky Croft. The reader sees the organisation of a small care home, its duties, friendships, activities, entertainments and mutual dependence. Here are described the ailments typically affecting its members: the residents, the experienced nurses, the hard-working carers, the chef, the laundry worker, assisted by a local GP and the local hospital. This is the framework of a drama of survival and recovery played out within the rooms and gardens of Woodside Lodge. The narrative tracks the struggles and aspirations of the residents and workers right down to the tragically poignant climax. This is a definitive account of a time in 2020 which witnessed the most significant medical and socio-economic events since the second World War.