'I am just putting my head out of the window for fresh air' - What life in Sunderland's tower blocks is like during lockdown

But what is it like living in a tower block where potentially hundreds of people are effectively under the same roof?

We ask the residents of Sunderland’s high-rise flats what their lives have been like during the pandemic.

“I have spent 52 years living here,” said Catherine Kinnair, a resident of the city’s Aldenham Tower, which is part of the Gilley Law Lakeside Village.

Now aged 80, Catherine and her husband Tony Kinnair, 78, moved into their first floor flat back in 1968 when the tower first opened.

Aldenham Tower – which is one of eight towers in Lakeside Village – has 17 stories and has 96 homes.

The buildings are managed by Gentoo, which in total owns and manages 23 high rise tower blocks across Sunderland – with more than 1,770 homes in these blocks.

Since lockdown began around eight weeks ago Catherine and Tony have been self-isolating together and haven’t left the building for fear of picking up the virus.

“We have been in lockdown for seven weeks now,” Catherine said.

“I could go out, but due to my husband’s health I won’t in case I bring the virus back in to him.

“We’re on the first floor and can see on to the lake. I am just putting my head out of the window for fresh air.”

The pair are relying on their niece and a volunteer named Ian from the Youth Almighty Project in Silksworth, to bring in food shopping which is left on the door step of their flat to adhere to social distancing. The couple have expressed their thanks and gratitude to both for supporting them during this difficult time.

Meanwhile Gentoo, which manages the tower, is also helping to ease the worries of residents by stepping up its cleaning of communal areas like the lifts and main entrance.

“Gentoo are really good, we have shoots for our rubbish and the bins are emptied every week, while cleaners are in every day disinfecting the doors and communal areas such as lifts and staircases,” Catherine added.

But while residents like Catherine and Tony say they 'love their flat’ and the pair ‘feel safe’, living in a tower block of 90 flats doesn’t come without its challenges.

It’s thought by others living in the city’s tower blocks that some residents are making multiple trips outside each day which are not essential.

While the latest lockdown rules now state people can take ‘unlimited’ amounts of exercise, those believed to be flouting the rules by bringing visitors into the building come as a source of frustration for residents adhering to the advice of the Government.

One resident, who did not wish to be named, has lived in a tower block on the same Gilley Law Lakeside Village for 10 years.

She said: “I know that people are bringing others into the building who don’t live here and it’s putting people’s lives in danger.

“I think it’s happening because people probably feel isolated living in their flats.

“I’d say in the tower we live in, around 80% of the people are elderly and under normal circumstances don’t go out that much anyway.”

A support network has been set up for residents of all eight tower blocks in the village, thanks to a dedicated team of residents association members.

Amble Tower resident Margaret Cassap, 75, heads up the Lakeside Residents Association, which in normal circumstances would hold weekly gatherings in social rooms of each tower and organise trips or hospital visits.

Now such a network is more important than ever, with representatives offering support for those living in each tower through the likes of daily welfare calls and help with food shopping for those who cannot get out.

Margaret, who has lived on the fourth floor of the tower for 11 years and helped to set up the association when she moved in, stressed how the sense of community in each tower was getting residents through this difficult time.

“People are helping each other,” Margaret said.

“There are committee members in every tower apart from Aden and most of us take responsibility for those living in their tower.

“I ring a couple of residents in my tower every night to see how they are doing, and we have have individuals going out to do shopping for people.

“Everybody is keeping an eye on each other – there are a lot of good people in the towers.”

Residents can also keep in touch with residents from other towers using an internal phone inside their flat, with committee members calling each other in different towers to keep in touch during the lockdown.

The phone is also a lifeline for residents who live alone and need support with things like shopping.

“Gentoo have also been on the ball keeping the lifts and areas clean,” Margaret added.

Michelle Meldrum, Executive Director (Operations) at Gentoo said the organisation had been running wellbeing checks with residents.

She said: “The Coronavirus has brought new challenges to maintaining our residential towers and blocks, but our dedicated team are working hard every day to make sure that tenants and residents living in our buildings feel as safe as possible during these unprecedented times.

“In our communal buildings we’ve also introduced extra intensive cleaning to touch points such as lifts and bannisters and closed all communal rooms.

“We’re continually reviewing what steps we can take to ensure tenant safety is central to what we do and we are extremely grateful for the cooperation and understanding of all our tenants at this time.”

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