HAVE you been affected by the events of the Covid-19 pandemic?

Well, a new project wants to hear all about your pandemic story - and how it has affected your mental health.

The Somerset Covid-19 Archive Project launched on Monday (November 29).

The project is run by a partnership of the South West Heritage Trust and Open Mental Health – an alliance of local voluntary organisations, the NHS and social care and Somerset County Council.

"We’ve all experienced the lockdowns and others have faced unemployment and in some cases the loss of loved ones," said Jane Yeandle, Somerset NHS Foundation Trust’s service director for mental health and learning disabilities.

“These extraordinary events have affected our lives and our mental health in ways we could not previously have imagined, and they continue to do so.

“The idea for this archive came from New Zealand’s response to a devastating earthquake in 2011. Authorities realised that the Maori population did not typically engage with mental health services, so they created a similar archive for this large group of people to talk about their experiences and get the support they needed."

She explained that the project will help these organisations to gain an understanding of other people's thoughts and emotions during the pandemic.

As well as this, it is a chance for future generations to learn about what people went through during the pandemic.

“There’s a lot of evidence showing that people tend not to seek help from mental health services immediately after a natural disaster or an unprecedented event such as the pandemic," added Jane.

“By starting a conversation with people, the archive gives our Open Mental Health service an opportunity to reach out to undeserved communities, such as those in rural areas who might not traditionally use mental health services.

"We can also look at how to develop more targeted services to best meet their needs.

“We want to ensure that we record the stories of Somerset people and places concerning these difficult times so that future generations can find out about the challenges we faced and how our communities pulled together.”

The archive is open to everyone in Somerset.

To contribute to the project, you will need to fill out a form on the South West Heritage website by visiting swheritage.org.uk/somerset-archives/coronavirus-community-archive/.

Tom Mayberry, chief executive of the South West Heritage Trust, added: “The community archive is a very important way of capturing the voices of the pandemic and the many perspectives on these challenging times that might otherwise be lost.

"We’re very pleased to be working with Open Mental Health to ensure that Somerset’s unique stories of Covid-19 are preserved for this generation and for the future.”

If you are an adult living in Somerset and concerned about your mental health, contact the team at Mindline Somerset on 01823 276892.