This page contains a wide selection of information, support and entertainment links that I’ve gathered during the Covid pandemic. I’ve also continued to write my Favourites Posts about what’s been keeping me occupied and entertained, and I’ve put together Lockdown Playlists of relevant videos that you might enjoy.
Contents
Information & Support
UK Resources
- Government:
- NHS:
- BBC News:
- Articles & Stories
- Reality Check (clarifying stories, debunking conspiracies, etc)
- BBC Click – Tech News (also on Youtube)
- Other:
- Citizen’s Advice – Advice on finances, work, housing, legal issues, etc.
- ZOE & King’s College COVID Symptom Study App – Just by answering a few quick questions every day, you can help researchers track the nation’s health. Highly recommended.
Global Resources
- Information & Case Figures:
- Holiday & Travel Guidance:
Visually Impaired & Disabled People
- General Information & Support:
- Communication:
- Exercise:
- Shopping:
- Arts & Culture (VocalEyes):
- Other Tips & Guides:
- Other Disability Sites:
Mental Health
- Organisations:
- Age UK – Feeling anxious or low about coronavirus
- Cruse Bereavement Care – Bereavement and grief advice
- Mind – Coronavirus and your wellbeing
- NHS – Mindfulness
- The Princes Trust – Support Hub
- Samaritans – If you’re worried about your mental health
- ZOE Covid Symptom Study – 5 tips for coping with anxiety
- Articles:
- BBC Videos:
Physical Health
- NHS:
- Home Exercise:
- Elderly People:
- Yoga:
Domestic Violence & Abuse
Shopping
Covid information pages for major retailers:
Community Support & Fundraising
- NHS:
- Other:
Conspiracies & Misinformation
In difficult and unusual times it’s perfectly natural to have anxiety, uncertainty and a desire to learn more. But it’s vital to be careful about where you get your information from. The following sites give very useful advice and fact-checking:
Remember, the only people who can properly understand and explain the pandemic situation are those with extensive educational and career experience in epidemiology, viruses, pandemics, vaccines and statistical analysis, and it’s in the best interests of us (including our governments), to listen to them closely.
Trouble is, there are lots of unqualified people misinterpreting or ignoring official information, in order to spread conspiracy theories and false rumours. And that leads to dangerous behaviour that can make the situation worse for us all. However, these people do have common ways of behaving, so they’re fairly easy to spot:
- Anonymity – Apart from a few high profile people who crave attention, the vast majority of misinformation spreaders hide behind an anonymous or randomly generated username, and a blank or fake profile image.
- Claiming Expertise – They claim to have relevant qualifications, or know others who do, yet they never offer any proof of it.
- Unreliable Sources – They will post claims, statistics, charts, screenshots and memes, without giving direct links to the official sources of the information, or they’ll link to conspiracy sites that are clearly biased towards their own views (while also claiming that mainstream media are biased). And when it comes to statistics, they may be ignorantly or deliberately misinterpreting them (you need to be sure how the data was gathered, what it represents, what its limitations are, etc to analyse it).
- “Do your own research” – They will often give this response when challenged for evidence, because they don’t have any.
- Abuse – They regularly resort to abuse or will block people, instead of having a civil conversation or providing evidence. They especially like to call people names like “sheep”, “shills”, “bedwetters”, “bots”, etc, and may use words like “muzzles” or “face diapers” for masks. “Sheeple” is used to suggest that we’re blindly believing and copying what we’re told, even though that’s exactly what they’re doing.
Entertainment
Theatre Shows & Concerts
- Accessible Content:
- VocalEyes Newsletters – Audio described performances and other items of interest, both online and in the real world.
- Free Online Shows & Performances:
- UK Paid Content:
- USA Paid Content:
Museum & Gallery Tours
- Worldwide Collections & Tours:
- UK:
- British Museum
- Buckingham Palace
- Churchill War Rooms
- Courtauld Institute Of Art
- Houses Of Parliament
- London Transport Museum – Hidden London Hangouts
- London Transport Museum – Hidden London Virtual Tours
- London Transport Museum – Adventure Shawn’s Tour
- National Gallery
- Natural History Museum
- Old Royal Naval College – Painted Hall
- RAF Museum
- Royal Academy – Picasso & Paper
- Saatchi Gallery – Tutankhamun
- Science Museum
- Stonehenge
- Tate Britain – Aubrey Beardsley
- Tate Modern – Andy Warhol
- Tower Of London
- Visit London – City Landmarks
- Westminster Abbey
- Europe:
- USA:
- Other:
Comedy
- Complete Series:
- Sketches & Clips:
Learn New Skills
- Arts & Crafts:
- Food:
- Gardening:
- Languages:
- Music:
- Study Courses:
- Writing:
Fun & Games
- Virtual Gatherings:
- Teleparty – Watch titles on streaming services in sync with your mates.
- Speed Dater – Real-world and virtual speed dating.
- The Staying Inn – Dr Amy Kavanagh’s pub for the disabled community.
- Quizzes:
- Games:
- Other Ideas & Links:
Well Eye Never 