GREAT BRITISH SING-OFF

Every day in this column, The Daily Telegraph seeks out and reports snippets of comfort as the world fights coronavirus

Five radio stations joined forces yesterday morning for a “Great British singalong” to raise the nation’s spirits. BBC Radio 1, Radio 2, 6 Music, 1Xtra and the Asian Network selected a song to play during a multiway simulcast.

Nick Squires reports that the lockdown has had a silver lining for local businesses in Italy. Sales of goods in small shops and grocers rose 41 per cent between March 16-22, because citizens have been unable to travel to large supermarkets.

The Prince’s

Trust is launching a £5million grant today to help self-employed young people whose businesses may be struggling to stay afloat amid the virus crisis.

A London physiotherapist, who started teaching her grandparents exercises through Whatsapp video calls, has created a channel featuring free daily exercises for isolated elderly people. Gaby Pimentel’s channel has hit 11,700 views in two weeks.

New Zealanders are embracing the international movement to place teddy bears in their windows to brighten the neighbourhood – and give children a game to play by counting them.

A group of young people in Rwanda have been performing radio plays to share life-saving lessons around good hygiene, reaching four million listeners. They’ve teamed up with Wateraid, which has said the plays have been a powerful tool, with much of the population unable to afford a TV.

Australia’s childcare sector is to be awarded £785million in government subsidies over the next three months effectively making the service free for a million families.

Pets are being valued more highly during the pandemic. Pets at Home has seen “exceptional levels of demand” in the lockdown.