A few days ago, Covid-19 took hold in the UK, everything went weird, we were told to stay indoors and I had an idea.
I felt lost, having life as I knew it just switched off, and I knew the many, many children I visit in schools and contact through programmes like Book Pen Pals could be feeling exactly the same.
I wanted to give ALL of them a voice during this terrible time. A space to tell their story. A chance to document their version of this historic period in our lives.
I wanted to build an online community of these diary makers and one day, to turn their work into a book that held the name of every single child who took part in the project.
SO…
I asked some friends to help me and boy, did they HELP.
Legendary award winning author Candy Gourlay has guided us in resource building and ideas on how to make a website work and what to do on Instagram and, basically, all things social media AND she drew the picture above!
Dear pal and genius Jo Wyton has built the website. BUILT IT. While also having a one woman birthday party for her son, at home, with no visitors. She’s made something so clever and beautiful I could weep with pride even though I daren’t touch it in case I break it.
Writer and woodland fairy Addy Farmer sprinkled magic over the early years pages even while she was ill!
Matt Killeen, yes COSTA SHORTLISTED UBER-AUTHOR Matt Killeen has made videos with lego and written letters to authors asking them to contribute resources while at the same time homeschooling a 4-year-old. The man is a SAINT.
And on top of all that :
The Wonderful Sarah McIntyre has shared diary making tips.
National Treasure Philip Ardagh got silly and serious for us.
Best selling author Cathy Cassidy shared a heartwarming video message with us.
Celebrated Carnegie winning Sarah Crossan shared her cool Instagram posts with us
Authors Abroad have contacted all their authors and illustrators for us.
There are SO MANY authors and illustrators sharing their ideas and more to come so…
Now it’s up to you.
We need children, of all ages, to get involved. If you are a parent, teacher, carer or child:
Get over to Our Corona Diary and sign up.
Follow us on Instagram @OurCoronaDiaryGram
And on Twitter @OurCoronaDiary
Share, tag , tweet, regram our posts and your diary entries at #ourcoronadiary
Get making and sharing those diaries.
We’ve got an archive to build!
Kathryn Evans 
This is a BRILLIANT idea! I’ll share it with a couple of FB GPs’ groups I’m on. They’re pretty much all younger than me, and their children are the right sort of ages (I have only elderly children in their 20s). Good stuff! Love to you and all. Keep well. Catherine
On Mon, 30 Mar 2020 at 08:01, Kathryn Evans Author & Public Speaker wrote:
> Kathryn Evans posted: “A few days ago, Covid-19 took hold in the UK, > everything went weird, we were told to stay indoors and I had an idea. I > felt lost, having life as I knew it just switched off, and I knew the > many, many children I visit in schools and contact through pro” >