Photographer Simon Ward captures life of Covid-19 as Tesco driver

When the first coronavirus lockdown was announced and businesses were forced to temporarily close, Simon Ward, of Simon Ward Photography, became a driver for Tesco, tasked with delivering residents their shopping.

Simon started to take pictures on his shifts, making sure his Tesco van was always in shot, and 13 months on he has a gallery illustrating how the pandemic has affected Salisbury and the surrounding areas.

When he first applied for the job, Simon did not think he would still be there a year later.

'We thought it would be around three months'

"In one breath I’m really enjoying it which is great, but like a lot of people, five people joined the same time as me, we thought we would be doing this for around three months, hoping it would be over by then," Simon told the Journal.

"It was quite clear more or less straight away it would not be resolved, so when my studio reopened I was doing both jobs.

"For it to be an entire year was a surprise, but as it went on you could read between the lines.

"As soon as the kids went back to school the infection rates rose and we knew it would be until Christmas at least."

When asked why he went for the Tesco position, Simon said the website had crashed with the number of people applying at the same time, adding: "I want to say I was able to do my bit, others have done so much more in giving up time to help so many people."

Simon Ward became a Tesco driver during the Covid-19 pandemic

Picturing the pandemic

Taking his camera on the road, Simon decided to use his photography to remember details of the pandemic that might otherwise be forgotten, for example the panic buying at the beginning, the empty roads and the changing of the seasons.

"In ten years we will remember this – we know where we were when these things were happening. I wanted to have pictures to go with that," he said.

Simon also used his 'Views from a Tesco van' photography to raise spirits and have "a bit of fun" with his co-workers - as the team would exchange images while on shift to guess the location.

"The Tesco van isn’t the most photogenic," Simon added, "the weather was glorious at the start of the lockdown – it felt like ‘Where’s Wally’ trying to get the van into the picture."

Staying on at Tesco

Despite changes in lockdowns and a sense of normality returning, Simon thinks he will continue his job at the supermarket alongside his career as a photographer.

He has been juggling the two at different points during the pandemic, when his studio was able to reopen and jobs could resume.

Near the beginning of the pandemic Simon also launched 'Doorstep Snaps' which enabled families to capture their own memories of life during lockdown, while raising funds for Salisbury District Hospital's Stars Appeal and Julia's House.

Bringing different people together

From an engineer to a DJ, solicitor and pilot, Simon said the job role has, albeit in bizarre circumstances, brought lots of different people and occupations together.

"We've all come from different walks of life and we just want to help, now we're all sharing part of the same story," he said.

"You shouldn’t say you enjoyed the lockdown, but I've been quite lucky in that I've been out in the fresh air and I've been able to help people.

"It does make you feel a bit guilty when there is suffering going on and people were stuck indoors. People are so happy to see you and have a chat, and I've got to see lovely parts of the area."

'A huge collective effort' from all supermarkets

Talking about the effects of the pandemic, Simon praised Salisbury's community spirit and resilience and the supermarket industry.

He said: "Our lives have completely changed, but this has also shown how lucky we are to live here.

"No other city has had to deal with two incidents [Novichok and Covid-19] in such a short amount of time, we always bounce back.

"The Tesco staff were thrown into this and have worked their socks off. These people, and everyone else still in front of the community, have stepped up since the beginning and got through it.

"It's been a huge, collective effort from all supermarkets."

Get more Salisbury news and nominate your local heroes for the South Wiltshire Hero Awards.

You can also like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter and Instagram to stay up to date.

If you want online news with fewer ads, unlimited access and reader rewards - plus a chance to support our local journalism - find out more about registering or a digital subscription.

Email newsdesk@salisburyjournal.co.uk with your comments, pictures, letters and news stories.