Over 300 items Submitted for Surrey Archives COVID-19 Collection

Surrey, BC – It’s been one year since Surrey Archives invited community submissions to help document the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Surrey’s communities and the day-to-day lives of residents.  

To date, the Archives has acquired over 300 items for the COVID-19 Collection, which includes hundreds of photographs and a sampling of videos, documents and audio files. 

“Items in this collection highlight the remarkable ingenuity, resilience, and spirit within Surrey,” said Archivist Chelsea Bailey. 

Submissions reflect a range of lived experiences from grassroots community fundraising movements, schools, non-profit organizations, and private citizens and businesses, including:  

• photographs of positive messages throughout Surrey from April-June 2020, 
• audio recordings of people discussing their everyday lives and feelings last year,  
• written letters from parents to their young children explaining the need to stay safe,  

• photos of birthday parties held in isolation,  
• a video created by a local school sending messages of support to students and staff, 
• a recording of the virtual Surrey Pride 2020 event, and more. 

“Even though we are still in the midst of it, the COVID-19 pandemic is an historic event, dramatically altering day-to-day life,” said Bailey, noting that the effects of the pandemic will be the subject of future documentaries, films, research articles, novels and more. “The Archives must be proactive to ensure local experiences of this extraordinary time will not be forgotten generations from now.” 

To submit a photo, video, letter or other items for the Surrey Archives COVID-19 Collection, contact the Archives at archives@surrey.ca or 604-502-6459.