I live in Felixstowe and am a key worker in Ipswich for the local council working as a bin man. I used to go out every Thursday at 8pm with my stepson so he could clap and beep the horn in my recovery truck. 

I have been on the front line all the time whilst this has all been going on and it has been nice to get letters and pictures from local children in Ipswich to show their appreciate for us bin men. It’s a very hard and physical job but is rewarding when we get little gestures like that from the kids so I just wanted to do this with my stepson every Thursday to show our appreciation too. 

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Hello my name is Yasmin Barratt and I am 13 years old from Felixstowe. I’m really happy to write an article that is published in The Felixstowe Magazine’s “Kids News” category!

I understand that it has been a very hard and tough time at the moment for everyone, and I have been doing my best to help out in the situation. Some things that I have done include:

Creating a page on Facebook called Yasmin’s Cakes and Bakes. This is a page where I post an assortment of recipes with step by step instructions and pictures. It’s has helped a lot of people whilst in lockdown, to follow the baking recipes, and I think the fact that the pictures are included, helps even more, because they can see how it is meant to look before and after every step. This is something that has kept people busy, and giving ideas for activities that will keep the children entertained whilst there is no school. I hope it has benefited not only people from Felixstowe, but from all around the world!

I have also created a group on Facebook called Felixstowe Lockdown Pen Pals. This is a group for people in Felixstowe and the surrounding areas to start writing to each other, and I think that this will make people feel less lonely and the kids more excited because they’ll know they’re going to receive mail. This group is designed for anyone at any age, and I am also planning on getting in touch with the care homes to see if any of the elderly people who live there would like to receive mail from anyone in the group. I am planning on maybe having a “Star Person of the Week” and this will consist of posting a photo of one of the people from the care home and writing some facts and interests. Then if anyone wants to write to them, they can just comment on the post and message me for any questions or concerns.

I am at the moment creating a recipe book full of other families recipes, or recipes that are from peoples home countries. This has made people feel more welcome, because they love the fact that I am interested in other cultures and cuisines. This book will also produce more recipes for Yasmin’s Cakes and Bakes, and people have already been requesting a copy of it, for when it is finished. I am still on the hunt for a lot more recipes, but so far, I have about 6! I am aiming to get at least 30 recipes, if you have any that would be amazing (you can get in touch with me on my Facebook page).

Lastly, I have been making face masks on my sewing machine for my mum who works at the NHS. I have also made some ear protectors for when she has to wear face masks at work, as it just makes life easier for her. On the subject of sewing, I have made my grandma a gardener’s apron and my grandad an artist’s apron. I have tried to cheer as many people up as possible, and make people happier during
lockdown!

Thank you for taking your time to read.

Yasmin

Amelie is 7 years old and lives in Felixstowe with her mum Lucy, step dad Steve and big brother Oliver. During lockdown she has been learning a very exciting new skill – how to DJ! Here’s Amelie’s mum, Lucy, to tell us all about their story…

Initially the thought of home schooling was quite overwhelming! But we soon realised we may not be qualified teachers but we have a lot of skills we can teach the kids.

Their step dad Steve has been DJ’ing for many years and is an avid collector of vinyl records. He wanted to share his love of music with Amelie so he set her the challenge of researching an album each day. Amelie had to research 3 things about it, rate the album out of 10 and explain why she liked/disliked it.

Steve then wanted to show Amelie how to mix the music and was quite shocked when she said she didn’t realise girls could be DJ’s!!

He introduced her to some famous female DJ’s and decided to teach her the ropes. It was clear very early on that she had an ear for music and was soon mixing records. They decided it would be a fun idea to put on a live show via Facebook for family and friends and set up the Masquerave encouraging everyone to dress up and have fun.

She was a natural and absolutely loved doing it. Steve posted a photo on Twitter which was picked up by Lauren Laverne from BBC Radio 6. She loved the story and contacted her colleague Mary Ann Hobbs who offered for Amelie to choose some music for the All Queens Mix which celebrates females in the music industry.

The show was fab and has been followed up with two interviews on Felixstowe Radio with Rob Dunger, an interview with Nihal Arthanayake from radio 5 and an appearance on Newsround!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/52946935

Steve and Amelie put on a second show using the Twitch app and Amelie chose to extend her All Queens Mix using female artists. With rainbow feather wings, crimped hair and glitter cheekbones she looked fab! She is an utter joy to watch and we are all bursting with pride for her.

Her next show will be live on Twitch (twitch.tv/coxy211) Saturday 27^th June 3-5pm to celebrate what would have been Glastonbury 2020.

She would like to raise some money for charity and has chosen Suffolk MIND due to the fabulous work they have done to support very vulnerable people during lockdown. During her show you will be able to purchase a virtual festival pint for £5 via Just Giving.

I think most parents will relate to the pressure we put ourselves under to get this home schooling right. But we must remember, we are parents not teachers and our job is simply to keep our kids happy and safe.