This page contains a wide selection of information, support and entertainment links, which I hope you find useful during these strange times. If there’s anything else you think I should add, do let me know.
You can also check out my regular Favourites Posts, where I talk about what’s been keeping me occupied and entertained, and my Lockdown Playlists of videos that you might find interesting and enjoyable.
Contents
Information & Support
UK Resources
- UK Government:
- NHS:
- BBC News:
- Articles & Stories
- Reality Check (clarifying stories, debunking conspiracies, etc)
- BBC Click – Tech News (also on Youtube)
- Citizens Advice:
- ZOE, King’s College & NHS:
- COVID Symptom Study – A highly recommended app that is helping researchers track the nation’s health. Just open it each day, answer a couple of questions about your wellbeing, and that’s it.
Global Resources
- Organisations & General Information:
- Case Figures:
- Holiday & Travel Guidance:
Visually Impaired & Disabled People
These links provide a variety of support and advice for disabled people. Accessible online entertainment is listed further down this page.
- General Information & Support:
- Communication:
- Exercise:
- Shopping:
- Arts & Culture (VocalEyes):
- Other Tips & Guides:
You can also find a lot of disability content via my other links pages:
- Blogs, Videos & Podcasts
- Resources:
Mental Health
- Organisations:
- 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
During a pandemic is 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 only people who can properly understand and explain the 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.
Unfortunately, there are lots of unqualified people misinterpreting or ignoring official information, and are instead sharing conspiracy theories and false rumours. This is leading to dangerous behaviour that can make the situation worse for us all. However, these people do have common ways of behaving
- Anonymity – Apart from a few high profile people who crave attentin, 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!
In addition to the government’s SHARE Checklist, the following advice and fact checking sites may also be useful:
- Center for Countering Digital Hate
- Infodemic – Sifting Through the Coronavirus Pandemic
- Infotagion – Independent fact-checking service for Coronavirus
Entertainment
Theatre Shows & Concerts
- Accessible Content:
- Official London Theatre – Get Your Theatre Fix – Weekly list of online performances, including audio described, captioned & BSL shows.
- VocalEyes Newsletters – Audio described performances and other items of interest, both online and in the real world.j
- Other Free Shows & Performance Clips:
- Official London Theatre
- What’s On Stage
- BBC – Culture In Quarantine
- Broadway Cares – Equity Fights AIDS
- Cirque du Soleil
- English National Ballet
- Gigglemug Comedy – Timpson: The Musical
- London Sinfonietta
- London Symphony Orchestra
- Opera Vision
- Royal Albert Hall – Royal Albert Home
- The Show Must Go Online – Shakespeare Readings
- The Shows Must Go On – Musicals & Concerts
- V For Victory – The Musical
- Rentals & Purchases:
- UK Subscription Services:
- USA Subscription Services:
- Other Lists:
Museum & Gallery Tours
Also check out my Museum Tours & Talks playlist.
United Kingdom
- London:
- 10 Downing Street:
- British Library:
- British Museum
- Buckingham Palace
- Churchill War Rooms
- Courtauld Institute Of Art
- Eltham Palace
- Houses Of Parliament
- Illuminated River
- Jack The Ripper Tour & Games
- Kenwood House
- London Transport Museum:
- National Gallery
- Natural History Museum:
- Old Royal Naval College:
- RAF Museum
- Royal Academy:
- Saatchi Gallery:
- Science Museum
- Tate Britain:
- Tate Modern:
- Tower Of London
- Twickenham Stadium
- Visit London – City Landmarks
- Westminster Abbey
- England:
- Scotland:
Europe
- Austria:
- France:
- Germany:
- Greece:
- Ireland:
- Italy:
- Netherlands:
- Norway:
- Russia:
- Spain:
- Switzerland:
- Vatican City:
America – United States
- California:
- Los Angeles – J. Paul Getty Museum:
- San Francisco – de Young Museum
- San Francisco – Museum Of Modern Art
- Florida:
- Michigan:
- New York:
- Frick Collection
- Guggenheim Museum
- Metropolitan Museum Of Art:
- Museum Of Modern Art
- Texas:
- Washington DC:
America – Other Countries
- Brazil:
- Canada:
- Mexico:
Other Countries
- Asia:
- South Africa:
- Australia:
- Various Countries:
Comedy
- Video Playlists:
- Comedy Sketches:
- Comedy Series – Full Episodes:
Learn New Skills
- Arts & Crafts:
- Food:
- Gardening:
- Languages:
- Music:
- Study Courses:
- Writing:
Fun & Games
- Virtual Parties & Gatherings:
- Facebook Watch Parties – Watch videos together with your friends
- 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 virtual pub, with quizzes, interviews, classes, film clubs and more.
- Quizzes:
- Games:
- Other Ideas & Links:
