Three years ago we knew little about how the next few months would unfold as word of a new virus swept the globe.
Just months later we were in for unpreceded and strange times with plenty of people needing a hand during the Covid-19 pandemic.
In March 2020 this newspaper launched its Here to Help campaign in a bid to create an army of helpers to step in to offer that extra support.
And an offshoot of that was the Here to Help: Not Alone pen pal initiative.
More than 1,000 people signed up to take part to send letters and drawings across all corners of the world, including Japan and Australia.
One of those people was former teacher and writer Zena Tinsley, of South Norfolk, who on April 8 that year sat down at her computer and composed an email.
That afternoon she messaged the team behind the initiative wanting to be part of the movement to help combat loneliness in lockdown.
Mrs Tinsley, 65, of Dicklebugh near Diss, offered to write to someone in a care home who would enjoy receiving a letter or two.
Born and bred in Norfolk, at the time she wrote: “I enjoy reading and love animals and have a dog, cat and pony. I love the countryside and enjoy all our garden birds.”
Unsurprisingly, she was quickly matched with a pen friend.
What transpired over the next 18 months was a blossoming relationship between Mrs Tinsley and her recipient, a centenarian who lived almost 150 miles away in a Nottinghamshire care home.
The woman, known as Eileen G, was a resident of the now closed Adbolton Hall Nursing Home in West Bridgford, south of Nottingham.
Natasha Stevenson, the home’s activity coordinator, facilitated the scheme there and assisted Eileen, who was a dementia patient.
Ms Stevenson said: “Whenever Zena's letters arrived, Eileen giggled and asked if they were love letters.
“Zena often talked about her animals and would include photos of her many pets. Eileen loved animals and always looked at the pictures sent by Zena. She really enjoyed the photos of Zena's cat and dog, and would then reminisce about her childhood pet - a cat that would follow her to school.
“I also found it very sweet that Zena sent Eileen a birthday card for her 101st birthday. In Eileen's first letter to Zena, we had mentioned Eileen having just celebrated her 100th birthday and Zena remembered to send a card one year later.
“Zena was very sweet and always had some good stories to tell.”
Four other residents also took part and “really enjoyed” getting letters in the post.
Mrs Tinsley, who is a member of the Friends of Norfolk Dialect (FOND) group, is also an award-winning poet and has featured in the press with her writing previously, including as part of the Norfolk Day celebrations and in tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II. She has also presented poetry talks to local groups.
She said writing to Eileen had been one filled with “such good memories” and thought it was coincidental that her husband was originally from Nottingham.
“I know it was a scheme originally set up to help with those facing isolation during the pandemic,” she said. “But I got just as much out of it as Eileen did – and I’m sure many of the other people who signed up did too.
“While Natasha acted as a scribe for Eileen, her letters were filled with all of her own thoughts and childhood memories, such as what she did during her girlhood.
“Judging from what she shared with me, I think it’s fair to say she was rather mischievous in her youth.
“Like me, she loved animals and shared funny stories about herself. We would make each other smile with our stories.
“When Natasha told me she had passed away, I was really upset because I really enjoyed talking to her.
“But it was nice to share those memories with her before she died, especially the ones about her childhood which had clearly stayed with her.”
Eileen died in 2021 at the age of 101. The Here to Help: Not Alone pen pal initiative finished in 2021.
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