We shed a small tear this weekend as we shut down the Keep Safe website we created during the early days of the Coronavirus pandemic.

It was March 2020 and everywhere was locking down. Information about this new virus was thin on the ground and none of it was easy to understand.

At Photosymbols HQ we hatched a plan. We would make a series of posters that could easily be printed on an A4 inkjet printer. When new information emerged we would make new posters and update them with the latest findings.

The aim of the posters was to keep people safe and informed despite being disconnected from our usual routines. We used social media to spread the word and it wasn’t long before this information was being shared around the globe - over 8 million shares in all.

The posters popped up in the windows of GP surgeries, hospital wards, day centres and people’s homes. They were translated into different languages and some were modified for audiences in Spain, Portugal, Australia and New Zealand.

We built the Keep Safe website to house all this information. The resources could easily be downloaded in different formats - PDF, Jpeg and Audio. As the website grew we added information about helplines, support groups and how the NHS 111 service worked. We even ran a weekly quiz night for a while, to help people keep in touch.

Two and a half years on and Covid is still with us. Now we understand a lot more about this virus and the illness it can cause. We know how to keep ourselves and others safe. It feels like the right time to close this particular chapter.