Britain Connects: Thousands sign up to meet stranger on video for Mirror campaign

Over the bank holiday weekend, the Daily Mirror and Daily Express asked readers to take part in the Britain Connects lockdown project.

Just under 2,000 people signed up to say they were willing to meet a stranger over video link under lockdown.

People have been virtually meeting over the past few days and reporting that they found it overwhelmingly positive. From farmers to zumba teachers, this was a chance to hear about someone else’s life.

So many hundreds signed up after the deadline that we decided to do a second round of Britain Connects in early June.

We will also re-match anyone whose partner didn’t show up in the first round.

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And if you feel inspired by these stories, sign up at britainconnects.co.uk.

Sue Shelmerdine, 72, a furloughed haberdashery assistant from Surrey, meets Joelle, 23, working from home in tech in London.

Both are living alone.

Born five decades apart, before the coronavirus crisis Sue Shelmerdine and Joelle’s paths might have been unlikely to cross.

Conservative Leave voter Sue lives alone in Surrey, close to her two daughters and three grandchildren.

Although she is 72, the former NHS worker has no plans to retire yet and works part-time in the haberdashery department at a fashion and home store.

Joelle lives alone in London and works in the technology industry.

She has two brothers who live nearby but most of her family is now abroad.

The 23-year-old lived a busy, cosmopolitan life before lockdown but is now working from home.

Meanwhile, Sue has been furloughed but is desperate to return to work. Introducing herself, Joelle says, “I have been so excited to meet someone new, someone different.

“I like to connect with people I wouldn’t usually talk to, away from my own circle of friends.

“I live alone and it has been difficult since lockdown.

“I usually work in Central London and see so many people during my commute but the last few months have seen so many changes – especially not seeing family and friends.”

Sue can relate to this. “I miss seeing my two children a lot,” she says. “But this pandemic has made my neighbours and I connect with each other.

"Nobody really knew one another before but we’ve started to get to know each other, especially when we’ve been coming out for the 8pm clap every Thursday.”

The pair have something else in common which is keeping them going – exercise.

Sue says: “I moved into this house about two years ago and the garden has needed a lot of attention.

"So these last few weeks have been perfect for me to do some work in it. But I do go on my daily walks, which I love. I am very fond of walking but I miss my pilates classes, which I attend twice a week.”

Joelle, who also enjoys going for walks, proudly tells Sue about joining online pilates classes, which she has signed up to during lockdown.

The pair talk about the new skills they are learning, with Sue growing her own vegetables and continuing with her knitting while Joelle is keen to learn some new languages.

Joelle laughs as she tells Sue about her disasters in her textile classes at school.

She says: “I did break the sewing machine a few times in textiles, I even used to hide in the materials cupboard, so I didn’t have to take part.

“My mum always says to me, the new generation don’t repair anything, instead we buy new things.

“But the older generation have the skills, like knitting and sewing to repair items instead of replacing.” Joelle speaks about her concerns for the future and how the coronavirus will change the way we live.

She tells Sue: “I used the Tube to get to work.

“Even up to the last day before lockdown, the Tube was rammed with people breathing down on me.

“I now can’t imagine doing my commute again soon.”

Afterwards, Joelle says she was pleased to meet Sue and delighted to find a shared love of pilates.

And Sue enjoyed meeting someone younger than her and found Joelle interesting.