Barney in Looe writes: When we talk of coastal towns, for many of us that evokes childhood images of fish and chips, ice-creams, sandy beaches and a paddle in the clear blue sea. What is quickly forgotten is the hours of sitting in traffic on roads not built to cope with the sudden influx of holiday traffic. Perhaps it comes as a surprise to learn that coastal towns are among some of our most deprived communities in the U.K. 

These communities suffer from a number of issues that are rooted in the decline of their core industries. Domestic tourism has been hit by cheap package holidays abroad, but also more traditional industries, such as fishing, ship building and port activities, have been in long term decline. This, combined with their location on the margins of the country, with poor infrastructure, leads to a struggling economy and lack of services, such as health and education.  

The established churches in many of these small coastal towns seem to be in terminal decline, with denominations and networks instead choosing to opt for the easier wins of investing in inland churches in larger towns and cities. 

Below is a picture of the Looe Community Meals Team, who deliver twice-weekly cooked meals to those who are economically disadvantaged, those who are isolated and suffering from ill-health.

Rachel in Birmingham writes: There have definitely been highs and lows! We started lockdown operating pretty much as a food bank and delivery service to the elderly and vulnerable - this was very rewarding but also extremely sad, as we heard stories of living through lockdown with no gardens or access to internet and, of course, issues around job loss.

In July, we started serving hot food from the front of the Haven, at first once a week, and through August 5 days a week. We served over 1000 lunches in total! As we did this, volunteers started coming out of the woodwork, all of them people who we had connections with but who hadn’t officially volunteered with us before. We have put in place a well-organised scheme to support them and they all sport their Haven T-shirts and ID badges with pride.  
The Haven has become a real hive of activity with volunteers cooking and serving our community 5 days a week
In the autumn, we have managed to reopen many of our previous groups in a ‘Covid secure’ way, including twice a week café, stay-and-play and women’s group. As we look to the future of the centre, we do so with excitement: whilst it is no fun living through a pandemic and we know many who have a lot to grieve, we feel more than ever that we are in the right place and excited to work with those whom God has brought to us.

Rachel in Bath writes: we have set up several expressions of church over the last couple of months within the covid restrictions at the time, which have reached out to people who don’t want either a traditional service or a zoom/facebook service to which every church seems to have defaulted.
Picnic Church: people bring a picnic blanket and food and are provided with a craft kit.  We began it mid-august and did it every two weeks until second lockdown.
Muddy Church: joint expression with the local Methodist Church – it’s rained heavily both times. ‘Wandering and Wondering’ in socially-distanced family bubbles.
Walking Church: exploring inspiring biblical passages while finding God in nature on or just off the estate.
Breathe: a relaxing and meditative gathering with home-grown liturgy and meditations to gentle music. A calm Oasis in the business of life.
Now Lockdown v2 has hit, we will need to suspend those expressions temporarily, but we hope to keep something of them going online without a youtube or facebook live service in sight

Ian in writes: Here at Hull yfc we were very happy to see regulars once again attending the daily breakfast club. In late September we had found a way of making the everything Covid-safe as far as we could. Over lockdown there had been home visits and activity bags but there is nothing like being together with families every day and experiencing the ups and downs together.
It has been difficult adjusting to families being confined to their own table, which has affected the dynamics quite a bit, but everyone has made the best of it and slowly we have started to adjust to the new ways.
Over the weeks, we have shared together the challenges of the situation we all now find ourselves in. This has centred quite a lot on children who have had to isolate and the implications and difficulties for parents juggling school runs. There has also been a sense of loss that the annual Hull Fair would not be happening (a huge regular social event for families and the city). 
But, on the whole, it has been a journey we have shared together. We also ran a session where we could share about experiences of lockdown and how we coped.
With another lockdown happening, we have sadly had to close at Breakfast Club again but this time we see this as a positive opportunity to explore new ways and not be stuck in a state of limbo.
Through it all, prayer has been for us an absolute rock. Through all the uncertainties and challenges, just being able to lift it all up to God is a huge relief, whether that be prayer for protection over the school and community or just finding peace in the midst of it all.

​Howard writes:  No doubt like many UE teams, we’re limited in what we can do due to Covid-19. Before the new lockdown we ran some Facebook Live Cobridge Kiddies/Humpty Dumpty Clubs from the Wakefield’s front room, which went down very well.

Our community garden had fallen into a woeful state during the long months while we were unable to go round and tend to it. We recently partnered with a team from a local project for vulnerable adults who came to give it a much-needed Autumn clear up. Some noisy power tools, a portable pizza oven, and two days of hard work have made it look so much better. Before and after…

Like everyone else, we’re looking forward to and praying for the day when we talk about the Covid crisis in the past tense.