Two years on: Mancunians whose lives were transformed dramatically by lockdown

This month marks two years since the first Covid-19 lockdown forced people to give up their regular routines and stay indoors.

Alongside the trauma of sickness, loss, uncertainty and hardship, it was the catalyst for significant changes to people's lives all over Manchester. From being inspired to join the NHS to having to close the door on the outside world for the full two years - people tell of very different experiences.

Here, MEN reporter Louisa Gregson speaks to Mancunians about just what changes the last two years have brought into their lives.

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Aroob Iqbal is a single mum who decided to follow her dream of becoming an NHS paramedic during lockdown. Aroob, 27, from Rochdale has two young daughters, aged five and three.

She says she first started thinking about becoming a paramedic in 2018 when her eldest daughter suffered breathing problems. She called an ambulance and was impressed and inspired by the paramedics who attended.

"The way they were with my child it pulled me to a career, " she explains. Aroob, who was a full-time, stay at home mum, was further inspired during the pandemic by the hard work of the NHS.

She says: "I felt like it was my opportunity, I wanted to do something for me. The pandemic just hit during that time and I felt like it was a motivation. I saw how hard the NHS staff worked and what they were doing."

Aroob applied for a postgraduate degree in Paramedic Science, and now in her second year, she has worked on a placement with North West ambulance - working with Covid patients. "I found it scary but once I got used to it I felt like I was living again, " she says, adding that her new vocation has given