Take part in The Big Conversation and tell us about how lockdown has changed your priorities

Life has changed beyond recognition since the UK entered a lockdown at the end of March.
Dewsbury town centreDewsbury town centre
Dewsbury town centre

Although restrictions have eased, many of us are still working from home instead of offices and we are all wearing face masks to do our shopping and travel on public transport.
We’ve also learned a whole new vocabulary of words, from the R number to furlough.
Those months when we could only leave the home for essential tasks were tough – but they also meant that we got to know our neighbours and began to appreciate the freedoms we had lost.
There were eerily deserted scenes in Dewsbury, Batley and Spenborough, with once-bustling high streets empty. 
And who would have thought that millions of us would leave our homes on Thursday evenings to applaud the key workers in a collective thank you?
Now we are asking you to help us take the temperature of the nation following lockdown, through a snapshot survey called the Big Conversation.
JPI Media titles throughout the country, including the Dewsbury Reporter, Batley News and Spenborough Guardian, are asking questions of readers to find out what has changed since lockdown – and what the new society which emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic should look like to benefit us all.
Questions range from what is important to you in the light of lockdown to gauging public confidence as we emerge. The survey will look at the impact of the pandemic on the economy and your spending habits as well as shining a light on healthcare provision in our communities. It will also ask what we have learned from the past six months and if you have maintained that community spirit since. We hope it will lead to changes in the way all we live and work in the future.
We would ask you to join in by visiting www.dewsburyreporter.co.uk and answering the Big Conversation survey. You can also share your thoughts on life in lockdown and beyond by sending an email to [email protected] and marking it The Big Conversation.
Let’s work together to try to ensure that the lessons we learned and the community spirit we enjoyed earlier this year can become a part of all our lives in the future.