During the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak our wonderful MeetUpMondays™ hosts have been put under extreme pressure to adapt their businesses in order to ride out the global crisis. Throughout lockdown many of them came up with creative ways to keep the isolated members of their community connected whilst folk were staying home and were unable to attend their MeetUps.
Some examples of the ways MeetUpMonday™ hosts have been active in supporting their communities during the pandemic are listed here and pictured in the gallery below. We salute their creativity and are thankful to them for all they continue to do, and have been doing, for their communities!
They’ve been:
- moving their MeetUps online and chatting via Zoom or Whatsapp
- hosting quizzes, raffles, bingo and disco nights over the internet
- providing meals for the more vulnerable and isolated members of their communities
- supporting key workers & NHS staff
- sharing their chefs’ recipes publicly whilst their restaurants were closed to the public
- Bake Off competitions via social media
- creating an online ‘Social Distancing Shop’ to buy virtual beers which become actual beers for NHS workers!!
- posting daily jokes to lift the spirits of their community
- telephoning their MeetUp group regulars
- working with Good Neighbour Schemes, taking the chat to the doorsteps of those having to stay safe staying home.
Some venues have now reopened their businesses from 4th July, and some have even been able to resume their MeetUp sessions, operating under social distancing & Covid-safe measures following government guidelines. Others remain closed for the time being, looking to hopefully reopen later in the year, and others are keeping their online socials going for now.
We will continue to update our MeetUpMondays web pages and social media as we receive information on their statuses, so do keep checking back.
Our pubs, cafes and hospitality venues are often the hubs of our communities. MeetUpMondays get-togethers will be needed more than ever in the coming weeks and months, to help support those who have struggled with being isolated for so long. Helping folk to rebuild their confidence and social connections, and creating spaces for people to process & chat about the events of last few months’ in the comfort of some friendly company.
Please, please continue to support your local pub, cafe or hospitality business, wherever it may be, so that we will still have them when we come out of the other side of this pandemic.
