A DIOCESE has made a film to show how one of their schools is coping during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In a video from The Church of England in Lancashire, available now to view on YouTube, presenter Rev. Sam Cheesman, the Bishop’s Chaplain, visited St Wilfrid’s C of E Academy in Blackburn and interviewed vice principal, Mrs Sarah Stamford and school chaplain, Jonathan Hands.

The video shows the outdoor hand washing stations and mini outbuilding for pupils showing symptoms as part of the schools battle against Covid-19.

Presenter, Sam Cheeseman, has travelled round the Diocese in October for a series of ‘road trip’ films which were first featured as part of a recent livestreamed Diocesan Conference.

Speaking recently about the film of the school’s response to the pandemic, Vice Principal of St Wilfred's Mrs Sarah Stamford said: “It was a real privilege for us to be part of the journey during the Diocesan Conference.

"The film is a valuable contribution to our understanding of how we are all coping in this challenging time and we really appreciated being able to step up and take part.”

Mrs Stamford said that it brought her joy that the students were back in school and able to learn in an adapted, and safe way.

The road trip sequences have now been edited into separate fresh new short films by Jim Cooke of Centreline Films.

In the film, which was produced prior to the current lockdown, school chaplain Jonathan Hands describes how well pupils understand that ‘normality’ has had to be suspended during the course of the year.

He said: “It has also been an opportunity for us to try new and different things in school. I’ve found that our students are really very resilient and do manage to ‘go with the flow’.

“Students have also stepped up to the plate to help with worship plans and are using technology to look outward from the school to the local community, and to how we can help people.”