Getting bored of lockdown? Then the York Castle Museum might have just the challenge for you. STEPHEN LEWIS reports

FED up of lockdown? Wish you had something - anything - to do, other than watch endless repeats of The Big Bang Theory or of England matches from Euro '96?

Then York Castle Museum might have just the challenge for you.

The museum, which holds one of the most significant collections related to 'everyday life' in the country, wants to create a permanent record of what it has been like for us all living through this pandemic - the high points, the low points, the memorable and the mundane.

So it is inviting people of all ages to record how they feel about the current situation and how their lives have changed by creating their own COVID-19 Time Capsule.

Several other organisations in York - including the Borthwick Institute and the York Theatre Royal - are doing similar things..

But the Castle Museum has gone one step further, by creating a menu of ten challenges or activities for people to complete.

The idea is that you can complete as many or as few of these as you want, and then either upload your efforts to the 'Time Capsule' section of the museum's website (see below) or else hold onto your work and then physically bring it along to the museum once lockdown is over.

The ten activities are:

• A letter or film to your six month younger self

• A 'before and after' photo of something affected by lockdown

• A picture or visual image that reflects your response to the experience

• A dream conversation with someone you’re missing during lockdown

• A single object which represents lockdown to you

• A 24 hour task: write down everything you do in a day – no matter how mundane

• Record a sound or tell us your experiences of sounds that have changed

• Tell us about anything you have connected or reconnected with – old hobbies, friendships, new skills?

• Write a newspaper article or think of a series of headlines that represent your experience

• A 'Letter of Reflection' - a letter to your future self sharing your thoughts, feelings and reflections.

Anyone interested in taking part has until May 31 to complete any or all of the activities.

Jo Killeya, the museum's head of public engagement, collections and curatorial, said: “We are in the middle of a very challenging situation which has dramatically changed everyday life for all of us in many different ways.

"As a social history museum, we want to record the thoughts, feelings, experiences and emotions of people within a York Castle Museum COVID-19 time capsule.

“The ten activities are designed to help you do this – it could be a letter or film to your younger self telling you what you have learnt since living in lockdown, or an object which sums up the whole experience for you.

"Maybe it is a sound recording of birdsong on your street, quiet from the lack of traffic, or even pictures of your new hairstyle, with a before and after shot!

“This is a project for everyone, no matter how your life has changed, we want to hear about it. You could do an individual response, or with your family or your school if you are still attending.

"We hope we get a wide variety of capsules submitted to show the huge effect this has had on all of us, be it in very different ways.”

To take part in the project, simply visit yorkcastlemuseum.org.uk and click on the Time Capsule banner on the home page.

Once you have signed up, you will receive a link via email to your individual time capsule folder, where you can upload your time capsule content.

If you do not have email, please call 01904 687 687 for details of how to take part.

Those taking part can select whether their time capsule remains anonymous. But by uploading your content you do agree to the museum using the content you have provided.

More information about the project is available at yorkcastlemuseum.org.uk