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Renewing old acquaintances eases lockdown for Leeds ReUnited friends 

Wednesday 7 July 2021

As the promise of a return to some kind of post-COVID normality looms on the horizon, it is good to hear that virtual get-togethers continue to strengthen bonds and renew old friendships among alumni. 

Following reports in the last edition of Beyond GSAL of old boys and girls keeping in touch throughout the pandemic, Nicolette Jones (OG77) has written to tell us about Leeds ReUnited, a group of former LGS and LGHS students from the 1970s who have been Zoom calling every Saturday lunch time. 

The group of ex-LGS boys from 1974, plus Nicolette and her sister Rachel (OG76) used to hang out together in their teens. Some have been in touch ever since, while others have been reunited by the weekly lockdown calls. 

The group is scattered far and wide, with one in Western Australia and another in Maryland, USA. The rest live all over the UK including Edinburgh, Durham, Stroud, Herefordshire, Beaconsfield, Bolton, Norwich, London and Leeds. Their experiences of lockdown have ranged from almost none at all, like Western Australia, to the highest alerts in Bolton.   

Like the SatZoomers featured in the last edition, the group has sustained each other through the pandemic and its losses.  They have supported a group member through his long journey of recovery from COVID-19, the loss of Nicolette’s and Rachel’s mother and the death of member Michael Harding 

Nicolette said: “Thanks to the group we were able to gather on Zoom immediately after watching Michael’s online funeral. It was a consolation to share the moment and, in a way, the time we had with him on this group before we lost him, was an unexpected gift. He was a musician, and on one occasion he sang us one of his songs, to mark my sister’s birthday.   

“There have also been joys. One of us became a grandfather during the year, for instance, and was able to compare notes with another new grandfather. And there has been much laughter, reminiscing and sharing of photos.”  

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