Why are we seeing superheroes during lockdown?
28 April 2020 BBC NEWS
Comic books teach us that at a time of crisis, superheroes come to our aid. And as the world fights the coronavirus pandemic, the likes of Spider-Man and Wonder Woman have been springing up to bring some cheer to their local communities.
'Our objective is to bring smiles'
A number of runners have been getting their daily exercise while bringing smiles to people's faces in Kesgrave, Suffolk.
Wanting to keep their identities anonymous, "Spidey" went out for the first time as he "thought it would be fun" and then "it went nuts on Facebook" so he went out again.
The reaction was again "great" so he "roped" in Batman, Iron Man, Deadpool and The Flash to go out on their own runs.
"We all started going out and visiting the odd house where people were in isolation, especially kids, and unable to get out at all.
"That's grown now and we have Robin, Wonder Woman, Super Mario, Batwoman, Batgirl, Spider-Boy, Captain America, Rainbow Girl and we're good friends with Evel Knievel."
The group says: "Our objective is simply to bring smiles to faces, raise awareness that we should be staying at home bar essential journeys and your daily exercise - which is what we're doing when we're out running."
Group members say they are "pedantic" about abiding to the social distancing rules and at least two or three of them try to get out every day.
'People in the NHS are amazing'
Householders on postman Russell Sanders' delivery route in Oxfordshire spotted a different superhero in their neighbourhood every day last week.
He decided to dress up as different characters to raise money for the NHS.
He says a good friend was being treated for Covid-19 in intensive care at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.
The postman of 21 years, from Kidlington, says he is proud to have raised more than £800.
"I'm doing my job but people in the NHS are amazing for what they are doing," he says.
At the start of the week he was Captain America, before Donatello from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and then The Flash.
He rounded the week up as Superman, the Incredible Hulk and Spider-Man.
The married father-of-four says the reaction from his customers was "brilliant".
"The little kids love it. They waited at the windows to wave at me and all of the customers have been really good."
'Special needs children are struggling'
PAT CLINE
Buckinghamshire father-of-two Pat Cline has been dressing up as Captain America for eight years, attending charity events and conventions.
With his usual calendar of commitments cancelled due to the lockdown he decided to take a walk around his Aylesbury neighbourhood as the comic book character to "cheer people up".
The 32-year-old, who moved from the US to England nine years ago, says he also sends video messages after getting requests from people living further away than he can walk.
He says he has sent more than a dozen videos, especially to families with special needs children "because they are struggling at home".
"One request came from someone to give [a video message] to their friend who's got an autistic son who has been feeling anxious about being cooped up inside the house.
"She said the family was over the moon when the Captain America video came through - job done," he says.
Pat says he's not been taking money for the videos but has asked those who can afford it to donate to Autism All Stars Foundation UK, which he says is "struggling in the current climate to support autistic children who need that extra bit of support".
'If it's extra special for people it's worthwhile'
Rich Clark has been walking the streets of Hull to keep families entertained.
The 37-year-old says he decided to go out for a "walk and wave" after helping friends send out video messages for children whose birthday parties had been cancelled due to the lockdown.
He covers a planned route and films it live via Facebook from 12:00 BST each Saturday and Sunday - and has even attracted a following around the globe, including in Australia and Las Vegas.
The law firm worker says: "The response has been unbelievable. When you turn into a street and all these kids are standing outside their house to see you, it's fantastic."
Over the Easter weekend, families left out drinks, lollies and chocolate eggs, he says.
He has also run mini competitions, challenging children to draw Avengers posters to put up in their windows or to come out in their own superhero costumes.
Outside of his full-time job and the weekend walks, he spends hours dealing with his "superhero admin" - responding to messages sent to the Facebook page and planning his routes.
He even went to the trouble of sorting out a birthday card for one of the girls on his "wave and walk".
"If you make it extra special for people it's worthwhile."
'Let's get it out and have a play'
LUCY SMITH
While the Loch Ness Monster isn't a superhero, a Weymouth family has nonetheless been having a "bit of fun" walking down their street as the elusive Scottish beast.
Cafe owner Lucy Smith and her husband Dom made the costume some years ago for their daughter Millie's dance school production.
"I thought let's get it out and have a play," she says.
She says Millie, 13, was at one end and her son Oscar, 12, was at the other and she filmed it.
"I don't think there were too many people around," Lucy says.
"But I put it on Facebook and there were lots of responses, people saying 'that was really funny' and 'that brightened up my day'."
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