It has been a crisis with a profound effect on these young people’s lives which they will never forget - but as this stunning quilt by Capel St Mary Primary School children shows, it is the power of love and full hearts which has helped them through.

Ipswich Star: Children from Capel St Mary Primary School have created a quilt made up of 240 hearts, to recognise the impact of the coronavirus Picture: SARAH LUCY BROWNChildren from Capel St Mary Primary School have created a quilt made up of 240 hearts, to recognise the impact of the coronavirus Picture: SARAH LUCY BROWN (Image: Archant)

Teachers at the school in The Street were conscious that the lockdown was “something that has been incredibly significant in the lives of these children” - both for the good and the bad.

Headteacher Sean Cornish said: “For some, it’s been a time of happiness because they have spent more time with their parents and families.

“For others, it’s potentially been a time of sadness because they weren’t able to mix with their friends.

“Certainly, conversations about missing their friends and the activities they do together very much came to the fore.”

Ipswich Star: Alexa and Ella standing with the quilt that children from Capel St Mary Primary School have created Picture: SARAH LUCY BROWNAlexa and Ella standing with the quilt that children from Capel St Mary Primary School have created Picture: SARAH LUCY BROWN (Image: Archant)

Whatever their experiences, Mr Cornish said staff “didn’t want it to be a time which children just forget about”.

He added: “We wanted to mark it in a way that said yes this has happened, but we wanted to mark it positively.”

So they set pupils the task of knitting their own heart with a message for what they were grateful for, or had been thinking about, during the pandemic.

Many wrote messages encouraging others to stay safe or thanking their closest friends and family for being at their side, whether virtually or in person.

It allowed them to express their innermost thoughts and feelings, at a time when the mental health and wellbeing of young people has been more under pressure than ever.

Over the summer, parent Amy Dawson volunteered to help stitch more than 200 hearts together - resulting in a stunning quilt which is a poetic metaphor for how the school came together during coronavirus.

Mr Cornish said the tapestry, which will take pride of place in the main corridor of the school, is “going to be a real focal point for the children”.

He added: “It’s something that will be very useful in encouraging them to talk about how they’re feeling. It’s going to give them a focus for their positivity.

“Coming back to school, the biggest thing has not been the missed learning but it’s about them being with their friends again and securing their mental health.

“You can feel a sense of relief at that sense of normality returning again.

“Hearts full of hope is what we wanted to convey - that even in this time, we’ve got full hearts and should be grateful for what we’ve got.

“We want to show that, even in the darkest times, we can hope for the best.”