Age UK Lancashire's delighted to announce today's launch of ‘Art of Isolation,’ an inspirational visual record of Lancashire in lockdown.

It is a 128 page full colour book and online exhibition comprising of poetry, paintings, photographs and musings which have been submitted by Lancashire’s older residents.

The project began as a webpage to provide entertainment and creative ideas during lockdown. With funding support from Age UK and Comic Relief, the team were able to develop the idea as a permanent record of this unique and extremely challenging period.

Jacqueline Harris, a local storyteller, who collated and curated the exhibition and the book on behalf of Age UK Lancashire says: “It has been an absolute joy and privilege to work on this project.

"When we asked for submissions, we had no idea what to expect. The influx of work and writing has shown a huge generosity of spirit, such a wide sweep of creativity, imagination and kindness.

"I like to think of this as northern soul! It would seem that the human spirit really is indomitable and that in the end it is community, love and creative expression, in many forms, that matters, and gets to the nub of things. Coming from a time when communication became increasingly difficult, these images and words communicate something deep and true about human nature.”

The exhibition and the book reflect many aspects of Lockdown including separation and loneliness, kindness, family and friendship, the news, support for the NHS, travel restrictions, exploring close to home and nature.

Teri Stephenson Chief Executive of Age UK Lancashire added: “We are proud and delighted to be able to share this remarkable snap shot of Lancashire in Lockdown. This book will provide a very personal legacy and we hope that people across Lancashire and beyond will view the exhibition and buy the book for their families.”

All the proceeds from the book go directly to Age UK Lancashire helping them continue to provide valuable support and services to the region’s most vulnerable older people.

The online exhibition and book order form can be found at www.ageuklancs.org.uk, and you can also find out more about the exhibition and the charity's work by following them on Facebook: Age UK Lancashire and Twitter: @AgeUKLancashire. Anyone wishing to purchase the book without access to the internet can call Age UK Lancashire on 0300 303 1234.