'It's brought out the good and bad': Wolverhampton on a year of fear, furlough and frustration

Shoppers in Wolverhampton told the Express & Star of the impact the virus has had on them, both physically and mentally.

Melanie and Ali Coey-Archer from Chapel Ash both tested positive for the virus in February, with Ali still recovering from the effects.

Melanie, 36, said: "The last year has felt really long and has had an effect on me, definitely, as I work in retail with Blooms Menswear and I've been on furlough the whole time.

"It's definitely been strange as I was worried in case I couldn't support myself with the 80 percent payments, but I've managed to make it work, making sacrifices along the way.

"Ali and I both had it in February, despite being super careful, so we've seen both sides of it and seen how scary it has all been over the last year. I also get frustrated when I see the different events that went on as it was all taking off last year, despite us being told to stay home, but it's nice to see a light at the end of the tunnel."

For 37-year-old Ali, the situation was particularly bad as she had got pneumonia on top of her positive test, but she was happy to be on the mend.

She said: "I was treated at a place called the Red Centre in Ettingshall, where they treat patients in the community, and it was an absolute godsend.

"It has been very tough as I'm a twin and I haven't been able to see her very often, plus my parents live in Portsmouth, so not being able to see them has been really hard.

"I have been lucky with work as I work to Lloyds Banking Group and was working in Pendeford, but they told us to work from home, which has been such a help to me.

"I do think the pandemic has shown the good and the bad sides of people as some have been very selfish, while others have shown themselves to be good people."

Christopher Toye, 41, from Perton said

: "I've found the last year to be very depressing at times and it's affected a lot of people in a lot of ways. I've missed the gym as I like to go there and work out and I'm very athletic and do competitive sports, so being stuck inside has really been hard as you miss competing with people. I'm also struggling with work as I'm a plasterer and it's not been possible to go into people's homes, but I've at least managed to find outdoor work that I can do, so I've kept myself afloat.

"My partner's mother had the virus as well and she was quite poorly, but she got over the the worst of it and is on the mend.

"It's been a never-ending cycle of misery at times, with bad news coming all the time, but I hope we're starting to get out of the worst of it now."

Donna Davies, 55, from Coven, said: "It's affected me mentally as I like to interact with people and I feel this has been taken away from me because of social distancing.

"I'm not too good on my legs and that's meant I've had to be careful about going out, plus I haven't been able to see my daughter and my grandson as much as I would have liked.

"My daughter also caught the virus last year, but thankfully, she only lost her sense of smell and taste, so we've all been very lucky and I've just had my first vaccination jab.

"I have been frustrated with the way people have behaved, buying too much of toilet paper and hand sanitizer, as it's affected myself and other older people who couldn't get what they needed."

Vipan Kumar from Blakenhall said he had been hit hard by the virus after losing his delivery job, but was starting to bounce back.

The 39-year-old said: "I've found it difficult and really stressful as you don't know where the virus is going or what is going to happen next. It did affect me because I lost my job with BPS and I couldn't find any work, so I was sitting at home for months, wondering what to do.

"Things are getting better and I now have a new job, but the last year has been so difficult and I'm just glad to see the vaccinations going ahead."