Ladies in Lockdown, together in kindness
Let's Talk|July 2020
From small beginnings, an international group of thousands of women has been brought together by a Suffolk woman. Angi Kennedy talks to its remarkable founder Jo Harmer.
Angi Kennedy
Ladies in Lockdown, together in kindness

Sometimes ideas take on a life of their own ... getting bigger and better than it could ever have been imagined.

Ladies in Lockdown is a perfect example. The ‘stone’ was thrown into the water by Jo Harmer but the ripples she set off now spread out across the world, bringing with them kindness and friendship to many thousands of women during the coronavirus pandemic.

Jo, 48, is a businesswoman from Lowestoft with a passion for supporting people. As well as running her own luxury wedding props suppliers Bespoke Sweets and Treats which covers much of East Anglia, Jo is the co-founder of a business networking group, Women In Networking, which brings together women in Norfolk and Suffolk with regular meetings. and daily contact on social media.

So, when the government introduced restrictions and lockdown to fight the spread of the coronavirus, Jo quickly realised that there was a need for supporting women through the difficult days that could be ahead.

On March 24 she launched a Facebook group – Ladies in Lockdown – and invited her friends and business contacts to join.

“I love supporting people in every way I can, so I thought why not create a little ladies’ group for anyone who might be feeling lonely at the moment,” she explains.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة July 2020 من Let's Talk.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة July 2020 من Let's Talk.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من LET'S TALK مشاهدة الكل
STOP ME AND BUY ONE: Nigel's on the way with his 1981 Bedford
Let's Talk

STOP ME AND BUY ONE: Nigel's on the way with his 1981 Bedford

It’s something we all recall with delight. “Mum, it’s the ice cream man!” Let’s Talk’s motoring man David Clayton meets someone happy to be the owner of a Bedford ice cream van. Bring on the Strawberry Mivvis, choc ices and 99s ...

time-read
5 mins  |
December 2020
Beautiful Hill: Normandy Origin For A Name Meaning
Let's Talk

Beautiful Hill: Normandy Origin For A Name Meaning

Let’s Talk’s surnames expert Derek Palgrave, from Suffolk, researches three more of our readers’ names, the first of which probably stems from the geographical presence of a beautiful hill.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 2020
Words of wisdom about a hobby so many of us love
Let's Talk

Words of wisdom about a hobby so many of us love

Let’s Talk’s gardening expert Charlotte Philcox has been trawling through some books to find words of wisdom from so many people about gardening and farming. Here she shares just a few.

time-read
4 mins  |
December 2020
Vicki remains so positive despite missing her panto
Let's Talk

Vicki remains so positive despite missing her panto

For actress Vicki Michelle, Christmas usually means performing in panto. But, due the coronavirus pandemic, this year will be different. Vicki speaks to Rachel Banham about her plans for the festive season, her outlook on life and her fond memories of filming in East Anglia.

time-read
6 mins  |
December 2020
Two centuries on Thomas would be DELIGHTED WITH HIS SUCCESS
Let's Talk

Two centuries on Thomas would be DELIGHTED WITH HIS SUCCESS

He was a man without sight but with such vision. Derek James remembers Thomas Tawell who died 200 years ago.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 2020
TURNING 50
Let's Talk

TURNING 50

Here at Let’s Talk we recognise that our magazine is targeted at those aged 50 and older. So we hope we are always fair to our readers and to the older generation in general. But it seems many believe other media and businesses do not treat older people in the best way.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 2020
THE CHASE COULD BE ON FOR a Norfolk home for Bradley Walsh
Let's Talk

THE CHASE COULD BE ON FOR a Norfolk home for Bradley Walsh

He is one of the most popular celebrities on television at the moment. He’s a comedian, singer, actor, personality and probably the best quiz show host doing the rounds. David Clayton looks back to when Bradley Walsh came to Cromer.

time-read
5 mins  |
December 2020
The calendar is rolling around to the WINTER SOLSTICE
Let's Talk

The calendar is rolling around to the WINTER SOLSTICE

Claire Manion, of Norfolk-based Broadsky Astrology, looks at how we have always honoured the winter solstice, our shortest day.

time-read
2 mins  |
December 2020
PEACE, GOODWILL AND PROSPERITY must surely follow
Let's Talk

PEACE, GOODWILL AND PROSPERITY must surely follow

In view of such uncertainty hanging over the rest of this year – and possibly well beyond – it was hard to come up with a suitable offering for December in his usual style, says Keith Skipper. So, he has decided to settle for a festive story set in 1951, that he wrote some time ago.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 2020
Friends
Let's Talk

Friends

Readers of our short stories don’t have to have long memories to recall work by Anne Maxwell, who had a previous short story entry published in the summer.

time-read
7 mins  |
December 2020