A 94-YEAR-OLD former Penarth resident, Bob Skinner, has published about his life as a care home resident during the Covid pandemic.

Pandemic! My Care Home Diary tells the inspiring story of how Bob lived and thrived during the pandemic at Sunrise of Cardiff care home.

Bob lived and worked in Penarth for over twenty years as a journalist. In his latest book, he gives a unique account of what life was like for Britain’s care home residents during the worst pandemic for over 100 years. Bob’s book will be a lasting tribute to the carers who risked their own lives looking after their vulnerable residents.

‘I am beginning to think that, like the men who fought in Burma, we are the forgotten army. Reacting, reasonably, but belatedly, the government clamped down on us. And we are still in a vice-like grip. While the rest of the country starts to experience the pleasures of normal life, our freedom is still very limited, and, worse, there seems little prospect of change. And who is thinking of us, speaking up for us?’

The book is based on Bob’s blog diary, which he began in March 2020 as coronavirus swept Britain. As a former journalist, Bob has a true reporter’s eye for the events of the year that changed our lives for ever, explaining how he recovered after three weeks in hospital with coronavirus. He also recalls his first reunion with his family, shown live on ITV’s Good Morning Britain.

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Robert Skinner, Bob’s son who also edited the book, said: "I was keen to publish Bob’s diary as a book as it gives a unique eye-witness account of what it was like to live in a care home through the pandemic.

"We are so proud of Bob – his resilience and high spirits have inspired the whole family during these troubled times. We hope Pandemic! My Care Home Diary will be valuable for anyone studying how people in Wales and Britain lived through the biggest health emergency for a century – and a lasting tribute to carers everywhere."

The day after a visit from his son, Mr Skinner writes on Sunday 12 July 2020: ‘My first visitor after four months – my son Robert. He spent the day, five hours of driving, to have just an hour with me.

‘It was more than a happy reunion after those unreal months: proof that brighter days lie ahead. It was far from normal. We old people are being carefully looked after - guarded - and that made the difference.

‘I had been looking forward for so long to today and was standing by the window watching for him to arrive, but I had to wait.

Sara Reading, the general manager of Sunrise Cardiff, said: "Bob’s touching account of the COVID-19 pandemic provides a unique and personal record of his experience while living at our care home.

"Although a challenging time, Bob’s story of life at Sunrise of Cardiff depicts the reality of this era, including the unexpected joys and community spirit which helped us through the worst public health crisis in a century."

‘I now have to get used to being alone all day, no one to talk to, except for the arrival of a carer - it looks as though it will be Alice who has been such a help to me - bringing meals.

Pandemic! My Care Home Diary is available as an eBook and can be accessed here.

For more information on Sunrise of Cardiff, click here.