Wigan resident Sam was 12 during the first lockdowns and says he found it hard to understand the rules that prevented him spending more time with his dad.

His dad's death left him struggling with regrets that he had "lost a relationship" because of the isolation before his father's death.

"I do feel deep down that something has been stolen from me," he says.

"But I do know that the procedures that we had to go through were right. It was a bad situation."

Now 17, Sam's resilience has sadly been tested further after the loss of his mum, who recently died from cancer.

But Sam says that strength he built up during Covid has helped give him "the tools to deal with grief alone".

'Trying to catch up on the lost moments'

Kate Eisenstein, who is part of the team leading the inquiry, says the pandemic was a "life-changing set of circumstances" for the children and teenagers who lived through it.

The impact of the pandemic set out in the testimony is hugely varied and includes happier memories from those who flourished in secure homes, enjoying online learning.

Other accounts capture the fears of children in fragile families with no escape from mental health issues or domestic violence.

Some describe the devastating sudden loss of parents or grandparents, followed by online or physically distanced funerals.

Grief for family members lost during the pandemic is an experience shared with some of Sam's college classmates.

Student Ella told the BBC that losing her granddad during Covid had made her value spending more time with her grandma.

It is one of the ways in which Ella says she is trying to "catch up on the lost moments" she missed during Covid.

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