This page contains a wide selection of information, support and entertainment links that I gathered during the Covid pandemic. You can also check out my Favourites Posts about what was keeping me occupied during lockdowns, and my Lockdown Playlists of relevant videos that you might enjoy.
Contents
Information & Support
UK Resources
- Government:
- NHS:
- BBC News:
- Articles & Stories
- BBC Click – Tech News – Also on Youtube.
- Other:
- Citizen’s Advice – Guidance on finances, work, housing, legal issues, etc.
- ZOE Health Study App – Help researchers track the nation’s health by answering a few quick questions every day.
Global Resources
- Information & Case Figures:
- Holiday & Travel Guidance:
Visually Impaired & Disabled People
- General Information & Support:
- Communication:
- Exercise:
- Arts & Culture (VocalEyes):
- Other Tips & Guides:
- Other Disability Sites:
Mental Health
- Organisations:
- Articles:
- BBC Videos:
Physical Health
- NHS:
- Home Exercise Guides:
- Elderly Exercise Advice:
- Yoga:
Domestic Violence & Abuse
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:
- UK Government SHARE Checklist
- Center for Countering Digital Hate
- BBC News Reality Check
- Channel 4 News Fact Check
- Full Fact
- Infodemic
- Infotagion
- Worldwide list of fact-checking websites
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
- 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
- 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 