As lockdown started I knew that the mental wellbeing of furloughed, laid off, home workers and single people would be hit hard. I too was made redundant.

To help, I started my own lunchtime lockdown show on my @HelloTomDyer Facebook page with my sister, Abigail.

The ethos was simple:

– Provide a daily structure and create a break.

– Provide a new voice and interaction.

– Promote positive mental health and wellbeing.

We did over 80 shows going live at 1pm Mon – Thurs with a Friday evening show of live music and even more laughter.

Each show included current affairs / chit chat, with a theme of the day based on mental wellbeing and self-development (Acceptance & Commitment Training (ACT) and Solution Focussed Approach to coaching.

Since March 22nd, the Page has had:

– increased followers (184% n261)

– over 19K engagements

– 44.2K minutes viewed

– comments like this:

“I’m so grateful for this beautiful community. I’ve learnt a lot about myself during lockdown and all of you have been instrumental in that process. so thank you ❤️”

All from a kitchen table!

We were invited on various radio programs and it even led to Tom and Abz becoming radio presenters themselves on Pure West Radio.

It was one of the best decisions we ever made and I can’t wait to see what happens next. As I write this we are two years down the line and experiencing so much life in Pembrokeshire and beyond.

Let’s see where this leads.