Rainbows of hope are helping to spread joy during the lockdown

One of these families, the O’Moras from Creggan, said they decided to adorn their front windows with a rainbow to keep people’s spirits up.

Mum Tracy said she initially got the idea from social media posts in New York, where she used to live.

“Children were putting up the rainbows because they can’t see their friends or play with each other and I just thought it was such a lovely idea.”

Tracy decided to get her children, 11-year-old Shea and eight-year-old twins Clodagh and Aobheann to design a big rainbow to cheer them up.

“This has been really hard on them as Shea is in his last year of primary school and he is missing out on his leavers’ ceremony and may not get to see some of his school friends again. The girls were also due to make their First Communion.

“We had decorated the windows with homemade shamrocks for St Patrick’s Day and it was so nice because it made the living room so bright and colourful. We decided to do a big massive rainbow to replace them.

“I hope that in the future they will remember things like making the rainbows of hope rather than all the things they are missing out on,” Tracy added.

“People are stopping and looking at the windows when they are out on their daily walk and we had it lit up last week when everyone was out on the street clapping for healthcare workers. It encouraged people to wave over to us.”

A number of the O’Moras’ family and friends have followed suit and created rainbows of hope for their own windows.

“My Mum has done it and then some of the wains’ schools friends have done it too. They have shared them on social media with us and it is a way for them all to keep in touch.”

The art project is just one way Tracy is attempting to entertain her children during lockdown.

They also created a time capsule, so that they can look back on this time and how they felt about it.

“We put in a newspaper and they all wrote a letter to themselves about their thoughts and feelings. We are all living through history and they will be able to look back on it when they are older.”

Photographer Tracy is also using her skills to help her children remember all the fun activities they are doing at home.

“I am also keeping a photo diary of all the other things we are doing. When this is all over I will print them and they will go into the time capsule.”