Sarah Niyazi was pleased to get her husband, Arif, home from hospital in February 2020 following treatment for a severe autoimmune condition. Within days they were both ill. Struggling to breathe, Arif went back into hospital, one of the earliest UK cases of Covid-19.

Mark Dowd hears from Sarah about how the following days played out, and how she met Muslim chaplain Rehanah Sadiq, who was “like an angel sent by God”, Sarah says. Rehanah also shares her experience of being a hospital chaplain in Birmingham during the Spring 2020 peak of Covid, which meant inventing alternatives for religious ceremonies. This is of key importance to patients and relatives, especially when someone dies of the virus – from prayers over the phone to alternative last rites and memory packs for relatives.

HIGHLY COMMENDED in the Content category of the Sandford St Martin Awards.