Pulling no punches over how pandemic changed lives
MEMBERS OF MARTIAL ARTS CLUB TALK FRANKLY ABOUT HOW COVID HAS TURNED EVERYTHING UPSIDE DOWN
IN a year of uncertainty, heartbreak and a longing for normal life, 19-year-old Cameron Cartledge’s experience of the coronavirus crisis will resonate with so many young people.
“Last year was really difficult because the pandemic has just turned everything upside down,” he said.
“One day it was training at my local martial arts club, seeing friends and family and the next it was having to stay at home not being able to do any of that.”
The past 12 months have been undeniably painful for everyone, with thousands of people losing loved ones, jobs or their mental wellbeing.
As the nation’s death toll reaches a bleak milestone each day, and the economy continues to shrink, the effect of the pandemic and lockdown measures continues to be felt.
For Wythenshawe’s younger generation, who have missed vital time in education, been separated from friends and face so much uncertainty about their future – the effect could be felt for years to come.
The M.E.N. spoke to several teenagers growing up on the estate about what it’s been like to be a young person there during a time like no other.
They spoke of disruption to their studies, a longing to be reunited with friends and family and how their local community has pulled together in the face of adversity.
All of them attend Wythenshawe Black Belt Academy martial arts club, which has been forced to close for months at a time during the last year.
“The pandemic has just turned everything upside down. With the club closing I’ve found it hard and felt very strange,” said 19-year-old Kaya Lee, who has been training at the gym for eight years.
“It’s always been the one place that no matter how you feel, you walk in and the atmosphere and the people just bring your mood right back up.
“I have my sister at home to train with but it never feels the same, I miss training with other people and learning new things.” Kaya said one thing that hasn’t changed as a result of coronavirus is the sense of community spirit on the estate and the willingness of local residents to come together.
“I personally think that everyone has really tried to stick together – throughout 2020 you see people putting things on Facebook telling people that they’re only a message away.
“People are all helping to support the small businesses here during this tough time and people are constantly trying to cheer each other up, which is what we need right now.”
Before the pandemic hit, Kaya’s younger sister, Savannah, 17, would train at the academy five days a week.
Last year, she was faced with her GCSEs being cancelled, started a new sports course at college from home and had to find an alternative way to train after the martial arts academy was closed.
“The year has had its ups and downs,” she said.
“As I left school last year and wasn’t able to do my GCSEs it hasn’t been a very good start to college as it has all changed and I’m not able to study the course properly.
“I feel like I have lost out on a lot of education. The app I am using for my online studies isn’t the best as I always have issues seeing and hearing what my tutors are teaching.”
For 18-year-old Rhys, not being able to train or meet up with his friends has been extremely tough.
“My college course last year got cut short meaning I didn’t get a full education for that year,” he said.
“Training and the club was cut down as Covid went on and that personally took a big hit on me because it was the one place where you could escape everything and that was taken away.
“I’ve found it really tough not being able to go out, meet friends and family.
“I hope that we can go back to normal once the pandemic is at a steady rate again.”
Many of the teenagers we spoke to said it was difficult to hold much optimism for the future, with a third national lockdown happening.
Qasim, 16, said he was worried that being awarded his predicted GCSEs could negatively effect his future when it comes to finding a job.
“In terms of the future I’m not sure how optimistic I am. I was hoping after the first wave some slight normality would return which it did,” he said.
“However it was quickly met with more restrictions taking us back to where we began.
“I believe in terms of education there may be some setbacks because college has been very different to normal and things like online classes affect that.
“I feel like being ‘given’ my GCSE grades is something I have to carry for the rest of my life and possibly could hold some negative effects when looking for a job.”
Eddie Bates launched the Wythenshawe Black Belt Academy several years ago and has been on a mission to use the gym to help get kids off the streets ever since.
His idea was to provide a safe space for young people from the estate to learn how to look after themselves without resorting to arming themselves with weapons.
He runs two scholarship programmes at the club for youngsters who have lost close family members, or those who have anti-social behaviour issues.
Like so many community leisure centres across the country, Eddie has been forced to adapt the club to make it Covid-secure and has faced a substantial loss of revenue in the process.
Many parents whose children attend the club have lost work or been made redundant from Manchester Airport, and have struggled to keep paying membership fees.
“There are a lot of people who really rely on the club because it is the only stability they have outside school, and now they have been shut too,” Eddie said.
“I understand that the pandemic is very serious.
“But what about the mental and physical fall out that is going to come for years down the line? “Keeping a community project like ours going is so important. It is not about profit – it’s about making sure everyone is safe.”
In spite of what has been a difficult year, Eddie said he is proud to see so many members of the local Wythenshawe community banding together to help secure the club’s future.
Sarah White, whose nine-year-old son, Lewis, attends the academy, has launched a fundraising campaign to raise money for the club, after seeing the negative effects of the gym’s closure.
“It has been a bit strange. Because of the club closing it has made me quite upset,” Lewis said.
“I have lots of friends there and I am sad not to be able to see them anymore.
“I used to go to the club six times a week. I have been trying to practise at home but it’s not the same.” Sarah said: “With it being Wythenshawe, there can be a lot of problems in the area so if Eddie can reach out to children he can get them off the streets. It’s not just about learning to fight it is all about respect and discipline.
“It is clear to see that the community is strong and just like all of us, I’m proud to be a part of it.
“A lot of them are not getting that at home and with the schools being closed a lot of the children have lost somewhere really important to go.”
For Chris Turner, 17, and many young people, one of the hardest aspects of the Covid crisis has been the uncertainty about when life will return to normal.
“I feel like there is a lot of uncertainty surrounding when the pandemic will end so it’s hard to see when there will be a better future for all of us,” he said.
“However, having life slowed down has allowed me to think about various aspects of life and I hope that this new year begins to improve so we can see an end to the pandemic.
“I think the whole community has tried to pull together and do what they can, whether it’s offering mental support where needed or even supporting entrepreneurs and businesses struggling to survive.
“It is clear to see that the community is strong and just like all of us, I’m proud to be a part of it.”
Training and the club was cut down and that personally had a big hit on me
Rhys