'I want someone to be accountable': Covid Inquiry comes to the East Midlands for the first time
"I want someone to be accountable for all of the rubbish that happened during Covid"
"She lost her home, she lost her job, she lost everything"
Natalie McCubbin's daughter was having seizures when Covid hit. She was in therapy to help her, and experienced paralysis.
During the pandemic she was moved into a care home. Her family couldn't see her for two years.
When they finally did get to see her they found she hadn't had physio, was suffering from lymphedema and couldn't walk. She is now housebound with three carers a day.
Natalie is one of the people sharing their stories at Nottingham's "Every Story Matters" event as part of the Covid Inquiry.
This is the first time it has come to the East Midlands, and people in Nottingham have been invited to share their pandemic experiences with the Inquiry in person.
The inquiry has been at Nottingham's Council House in the Market Square today, and will be there from 10:00 to 16:30 tomorrow (25 October).
These events were set up to allow people to share their experiences anonymously and understand how different regions were affected by the pandemic.
The testimonies will be part of the reports submitted to the inquiry, which is led by former judge and crossbench peer Baroness Hallett.
The East Midlands was hard hit by the coronavirus:
More than a thousand people died from the virus in Nottingham
More than twelve hundred people in Leicester died from the virus
The inquiry will move to Leicester on Saturday 26th October.
Inquiry Secretary Ben Connah said:
"From day one of the inquiry, we have wanted to hear experiences from all corners of the country, from people from all walks of life. This will ensure we fully understand the pandemic's impact on people living and working across the UK.
"At our Every Story Matters event, people can come down to the Council House on Civic Centre Road to meet with the Inquiry team, chat, and tell their story. It's incredibly important that local people get the chance to inform the work we're doing.
"Each of us has a unique story to tell about the pandemic. It affected everyone, in family life, in the workplace, in our schools and communities. This is a chance to have your experience feed into the inquiry and help inform our investigation."
Cllr Pavlos Kotsonis, Nottingham City Council Executive Member for Adult Social Care and Health, said:
"So many of us were affected by the pandemic that I hope as many local people as possible are able to take up the opportunity of the UK Covid-19 inquiry coming to Nottingham to share their experiences and help shape recommendations for the future."
The inquiry has already visited Llandudno, Blackpool, Luton, Folkestone, Ipswich, Norwich, Inverness, Oban, Coventry and Southampton.
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