Feel Love: Fence man releases original song to celebrate community spirit during coronavirus pandemic

Due to the fact that his younger son Hugo (now eight) had to have open heart surgery as a baby and is therefore more vulnerable to the virus, Mark Smith, 43, and his family have been in complete lock-down for the past five weeks. The family haven't even been able to go to the shops, with a family friend dropping off groceries for them, but the community spirit on show during the Thursday night clap for carers moved Mark to write the song Feel Love and release a music video.

"A few weeks back when there was a lot going on about people stockpiling and there was a lot of anger about it all, I got a sense people were just scared and acting out of character," said Mark, who is from Sabden. "Since then, we've seen so many good stories from people; these are completely unusual times and I think it's going to rumble on for a bit longer, but we're seeing the best in people.

"When people started going out for the 8pm clap, there was this palpable sense of community and I've never really felt like that before," he added. "It knocked me back and that's where the inspiration for the song came.

"My grandma's in a care home down south and they've had an outbreak, so it was looking very likely that she had it," Mark continued. "She's also blind and has cancer, so it was dark days, but touch wood she seems to be improving. We've got an Alexa set up in her room so we can drop in on her and the care people there are doing a fantastic job."

Featuring shots of locals taking part in the clap for carers as well as footage of his own children - Hugo and Noah (10) - getting creative during the lock-down, the music video also features the message 'I think that when the dust settles, we will realise how little we need, how very much we actually have, and the true value of human connection', reflecting Mark's belief that this outbreak will bring communities together once everything has passed.

"I think this will change people; it'll help them take stock and realise what's good about life," explained Mark, who works at Cheadle Hulme School in Stockport, Greater Manchester. "It's done that for myself - I've managed to spend a lot more time with the kids, spend time in the garden reading, and we're lucky to be able to walk up the country roads.

"This has been a positive experience for us but it's been tough for a lot of people, so I wanted to get across how grateful we are," he added. "We've been lucky with the weather and while they kids have missed the interaction with friends, they've been on FaceTime and generally they're more adaptable."

With Hugo's condition identified by doctors at Burnley General within three hours of him having been born and with their newborn son having spent time at Alder Hey, Mark says he and his wife are probably 'slightly better adapted than most to deal with the stress' of the coronavirus outbreak.

"We took the decision a week before they closed schools to take Hugo out of school and protect him," Mark said. "You're never going to eliminate risk but it's about taking appropriate measures at the appropriate time."