It is the 'where were you' moment of the 2020s.

Exactly one year ago today, Boris Johnson announced that the UK would be heading for the first of its Covid-19 lockdowns, with strict limits on social contact placed on the population for the first time.

This meant that residents of Frodsham, Helsby and the rest of the country were urged to 'stay at home', only going out for essential purposes such as exercise, which was to be limited to an hour a day.

Frodsham's play areas were locked, shops were forced to shut and children began their first round of home-schooling.

Over the next 365 days, Cheshire would see a huge amount of loss, heartbreak, and pain as 1,644 residents lost their lives to the virus.

Despite that, the county also saw a huge amount of generosity, kindness, and community spirit as it battled the pandemic.

Now, 12 months on from the start of the first UK-wide lockdown, we plot the key events in the Covid timeline of Frodsham, Helsby and the rest of Cheshire.

Spring 2020

Although March 23 2020 was when the entire country felt the effects of coronavirus with lockdown, Cheshire had been feeling some of its impacts for some time.

The first signs of Covid in Cheshire came in late January, when Knutsford man Matt Raw quarantined in Arrowe Park Hospital in Wirral, having recently returned from Wuhan — the Chinese city which is thought to be where the virus originated.

He left his isolation period just before Valentine's Day, but it was in late February when the pandemic really started to bite.

That came when Northwich's Cransley School was closed over fears that a ski trip to Italy had brought the disease back to Cheshire.

And Cheshire's first confirmed Covid-19 case was another resident returning from Italy, with a Warringtonian testing positive on March 11.

Sadly, just three days later, the county saw its first Covid-19 death, after a man in his 80s with underlying health conditions passed away at the Countess of Chester.

He was the 21st coronavirus death in the UK. As at the time of writing, there have sadly been 125,810 more people to die due to the virus.

One month after lockdown was imposed, human vaccine trials started down in Oxford, testing facilities opened up at Leighton Hospital for key workers, and Daneside Court care home confirmed a number of residents had passed away from 'suspected coronavirus'.

While under the 'stay at home' restrictions, the Frodsham community were keen to lend a helping hand to those who might have been struggling.

For example, Dawn Farrell, owner of the Elizabeth Arnold Sewing Studio, worked with her sister Sandra to produce 350 sets of scrubs and 300 face coverings for NHS staff: a wonderful gesture for those on the frontline of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, the organisers of Kash 22's Acoustic Jam moved online to create a weekly virtual performance, GOLive Open Mic, which has now been running for a whole year!

Lockdown also saw the creation of Frodsham and District Open Hands, a group of kind and generous volunteers who, in partnership with Frodsham Churches Together and Frodsham Town Council, began running errands and offering companionship to those who were left isolated by the restrictions.

Frodsham and District Open Hands volunteers are still available to lend a helping hand in this third lockdown. Click here for more information.

Summer 2020

May came in with the news that the UK now had the capacity to test 100,000 people daily, and that Cheshire's death figures had slowly started to fall, as had its case numbers — largely as a result of the first lockdown's limits on social contact.

Although all official celebrations were off, on the 75th anniversary of VE Day, bunting was hung around Frodsham's streets, and residents were able to enjoy outdoor musical performances and socially distanced celebrations.

It was in the middle of this month in which the Prime Minister announced that some measures would be relaxed, including the return to work for some firms.

It was also at this time in which CWAC was chosen as one of the first parts of Britain to use the new NHS Track and Trace service — which would lead to political tensions with Westminster down the line.

In June, some school years went back to the classroom, and non-essential retail opened up, as case numbers in Cheshire East and Cheshire West passed the 2,500 mark combined.

On July 4, Frodsham's pubs, restaurants, barbers and places of worship opened up their doors to customers excited for that first pint or that much-needed lockdown haircut.

On that same weekend, Cheshire's total number of infections passed 4,000 — a stark reminder in hindsight that even when cases were at their lowest, with CEC recording no cases on July 11 and CWAC scoring zero on July 6, they could climb rapidly.

Later in the month, mask-wearing became mandatory in shops, and more restrictions were imposed on the north west, with ministers banning household mixing indoors in Greater Manchester from July 30.

August began with CWAC Director of Public Health Ian Ashworth pleading with residents to follow the guidance in order to 'prevent local lockdowns'.

Towards the end of the summer, Frodsham's community organisations made tentative steps back to their old normality. The Frodsham Players staged their successful At Last...The 2020 Show!, while Helsby Concert Band resumed in-person rehearsals at St Paul's Church and children returned to Frodsham Youth Club.

Autumn 2020

September was the month in which cases climbed and any hope of a permanent reopening was scuppered. In CWAC, there were 9 new cases on September 1, and 64 new cases on the last day of the month.

In light of this, CWAC's leaders warned that it was the last chance to stop a local lockdown, but stated they would not ask for more regulations from the government.

October saw an almighty stand-off between Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham and the government over its support for areas entering the toughest local restrictions. This culminated in the formalisation of the Tier system we knew for a time.

Initially, CEC and CWAC were placed in Tier 2, although many of its neighbours were in tougher positions.

The end of October hinted at a new national lockdown — dubbed a 'circuit-breaker'. By this time, coronavirus rates in Frodsham and Helsby were nearing 300 per 100,000 people, up from only 30 per 100,000 in September.

Winter 2020/21

The dawn of November saw in a new four-week lockdown, which helped to ease pressure on the NHS, but also saw the emergence of a new variant of the virus which is thought to be much more easily spread, although no more harmful.

It was during this period of restrictions that the organisers of Ho Ho Helsby and Frodsham Christmas Festival unveiled 2020 calendars packed full of fun virtual events for local children and families.

Frodsham's local pubs, restaurants and cafés also started offering takeaway menus, which helped to make lockdown a bit more fun.

When England left lockdown, it used an updated version of the Tier system. As part of Cheshire West, Frodsham and Helsby stayed in Tier 2, although the rules were now more stringent.

Frodsham's hospitality and retail businesses were excited to be opening once again, although, unfortunately, their return was to be short-lived.

As case numbers rocketed before Christmas Cheshire and Warrington were put into Tier 3 from Boxing Day.

That trend continued, and both boroughs were put into Tier 4 — tantamount to a full-scale local lockdown — on December 30.

With New Year's celebrations confined to remaining indoors, it was clear that nationally, the Covid pandemic would get worse before it got better.

In light of alarming rises in hospital admissions, the Prime Minister took to the UK's television screens again on January 4 to announce that, from the next day, another lockdown would be imposed.

That was also the date in which Cheshire saw its highest levels of infection.

On January 4, CWAC's rate was 626.1 cases per 100,000 residents. At this point, Frodsham's rate was nearing 500 per 100,000, while Helsby and Kingsley's was 400 per 100,000.

A few days later, it was revealed that The Countess of Chester hospital was the 'busiest' for Covid in the North West.

At the time, 50 per cent of all Countess beds were taken up with coronavirus patients — but this then rose to 61 per cent.

As case numbers proliferated at an alarming rate through December, Cheshire's vaccination programme also began to build momentum.

It was on December 17 that the first doses were administered at Frodsham's vaccination centre, making us the second town in the county to begin inoculating residents.

Since that point, cases and hospitalisations have both fallen dramatically — with both borough's infection rate now just 10 per cent of what they were at the start of 2021.

Cases are now in single figures in Frodsham, Helsby and the surrounding villages, and our local children are two weeks into their return to the classroom.

That's also been helped by a strong vaccination effort, which has jabbed nearly half of all Cheshire and Merseyside adults since December.

Now, on the first anniversary of lockdown and a week to go until lockdown three is lifted, we can hope that Cheshire is slowly beginning to return to normal life.