On 31st January 2020, Newcastle Hospitals became the first hospital in the UK to receive patients suffering from a new illness - Covid-19. At the time Tom Warburton was a senior director at Newcastle City Council and was directly involved in organising many of the city’s responses to the Covid pandemic. As a keen amateur photographer, he knew he would be in a unique position to try and make a photographic record of the pandemic's effect on Newcastle and its people during one of the most difficult periods in recent history. Over the next two years, and with controlled access to some of the most sensitive and strategic areas of the battle against the virus, Tom recorded both the sadness and desperation as well as the achievements and sacrifices of those in the frontline fight against the pandemic. Tom’s photographs will serve as an important historical reminder of one of the most significant and strange times in Newcastle’s history and as a fitting tribute to those who took risks to help others and provide life-saving services. A proportion of the book’s sales revenue will go to Newcastle Hospitals Charity and West End Food Bank.
