Everybody needs good neighbours

Marwah El-Murad found lifetime friendship in the kitchen of her shared house

- PUNTEHA VAN TERHEYDEN

They say birds of a feather flock together, and it couldn't be truer for charity worker Marwah El-Murad. She and husband Andrew, known as Tibbs, moved in with four others during the Covid-19 lockdowns, but none could have imagined the enduring strength of the bonds they'd forge.

"I feel so lucky that even though many of our plans, including our wedding, were cancelled, lockdown helped create such happy memories. We built ourselves a family and community in our little corner of south-east London," Marwah says.

Brought together by a few twists of fate, Marwah, now 30, and Tibbs, 34, moved in to a large Victorian rental in Brockley in early 2020 with friends Lauren, 32, and John (known as Eli), 27, as well as Nicole 30, and Clare, 27.

"In the first lockdown, we began sharing groceries and ran our kitchen like a family one. We took turns cooking dinner and food was the thing that helped distract us from the claustrophobia of it.

"We were having to do so much online, from working to socialising or speaking to friends and family, it felt great to leave our devices in another room and hang out together.

"When I speak to people who had a terrible time during the lockdowns, I see how very lucky the six of us were. We didn't suffer any loss of loved ones, had company on tap and were somehow able to make the most of the situation."