Ali has been working worldwide as a touring lighting director for over 15 years with a variety of music artists who enjoy her diligence and attention to detail. Recent projects have included Kylie Minogue, Frank Turner, LCD Soundsystem and Goldfrapp.

Robe: Where are you right now?

Ali: Right now, I am sat in my garden in Liverpool.

Robe: How are you spending time whilst isolating / on lockdown?

Ali: I seem to have accidentally fostered a rabbit called Matilda ... who was supposed to stay for 5 days whilst I was home doing pre-vis … that was 5 weeks ago now. Vets are only open for urgent operations right now, and the rescue (Rescue Me Animal Sanctuary in Liverpool) can’t do home checks, so now she is basically the boss in our house!

She manages to take up a lot of my day, she is very good at making mess, demanding food, hanging out in the garden, and will happily sit being groomed for hours every afternoon.

Robe: What’s the most creative thing you’re able to do whilst in isolation?

Ali: There has been a lot of baking and cooking going on, bread, cakes, and lots of newly discovered vegan dinner recipes! Favourites are a moussaka and a meat-free meatloaf … oh and our Battenburg cake was a sticky mess of deliciousness!

Robe: Are you looking after anyone else during the Covid-19 crisis? Like neighbours or others in the family?

Ali: We have a neighbour who is over 70 so we have been doing his grocery shopping, and also providing occasional slices of homemade cake. I have also joined a local Covid-19 support group, and have collected and delivered prescriptions for elderly and vulnerable people locally.

It only takes the occasional hour of my day but makes such a difference to people who are self-isolating.

Robe: Has anyone particularly inspired you since this crisis started?

Ali: I have been impressed with the British public as a whole, a large majority of whom are observing the social distancing rules.

I go out for local walks most days, and have noticed an increase in people smiling and saying hello to each other (from opposite sides of the path of course). There is a real feeling of community up in Liverpool, and this is evident even more right now.

Robe: What has been your favourite book / movie / Netflix or TV series / viral video

Games / music?

Ali: I have just started “Zelda: A Link To The Past” (a Nintendo action-adventure game) on the SNES … I never played this as a kid as I have no sense of direction and can’t read maps, so I suspect this may take a while!

Robe: What’s the first thing you’d like to do when we are through this crisis?

Ali: Hug all my friends and family, then get back to my beloved Arizona and hike up a really big hill and tell the cacti how much I missed them!

Robe: Own question / answer / message of solidarity or something you’d like to say?

Ali: We know bad days are going to hit us all at some point. That is a totally natural and understandable response.

Look after each other and check-in with your friends, even if it is just sending a picture or something random on WhatsApp … you might just pull them up on a really bad day!