Partnerships the key to getting through the Covid crisis

The Annual Business Event film features interviews with a whole spectrum of Derby’s community – from city leaders to the homeless – all of whose lives have been touched by the Covid crisis.

They explain how they were impacted when the pandemic first hit and their emotions when the city went into its first lockdown a year ago.

But they go on to talk about how the crisis brought them closer together – and how working in partnership got them through the darkest days.

There are few sectors that were unaffected by Covid – the private, the public and charitable sectors all faced challenges.

In the Annual Business Event film, Paul Simpson, chief executive of Derby City Council, explains how he was just days into the job when the first lockdown came into force.

But as the crisis went on, the city pulled together to form the Derby Economic Recovery Task Force, to plan and plot the city’s recovery.

It saw the council, the city’s major businesses, its academic institutions, its cultural partners, its BIDS, come together to create a plan described by Paul as “an incredible piece of work”.

Ruth Hobbs, director of property firm Urban Sister Developments, talks about the fears she had for the future of her business in the early days of the crisis – and how she got together with like-minded businesses to help one another through.

Liv Pritchard, director of street food venue Bustler Market, which operates in a sector particularly hit hard by the lockdowns, talks about a similar phenomenon in the hospitality industry – with food and drink businesses working together to survive, rather than competing against one another.

And Reverend Julio Abraham, chief executive of Derby City Mission, talks about the impact the pandemic had on the homeless – and how the public/private/charitable sectors came together to find solutions.

There are also interviews with some of those homeless people, who talk about how life has changed for them over the last 12 months.

And finally, a feature called the Tik Tok of Hope shows the hopes and dreams of the up-and-coming generation, which is almost certain to raise a smile.

To view the ABE film in full click here.