STARTING a new job in the midst of a global pandemic seemed quite scary at first, but my colleagues at the Glasgow Times couldn’t have been more helpful whilst I was settling in.

I joined the team at the end of September following two-and-a-half years working at the paper’s sister title – the Clydebank Post.

After working from the comfort of my own home for months, I was finally allowed to step foot back into an office environment – although it was much different than before. We have to wear face masks at times and sit at individual desks - socially distanced from each other.

I was now getting to grips with moving from a weekly newspaper to a daily newspaper, and despite both being local, the Glasgow Times has a much bigger coverage area – one in which I’m still learning.

In my new role as a digital journalist, I focus mostly on breaking news stories and helping run the social media pages.

But despite only being an employee for three months, I have enjoyed getting to know both the online and print readers during these strange times we are living in.

We have been inundated with bleak news since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic but one story that really cheered me up and gave me, and our readers hope, was Dominic Hicks’.

Read more: ‘I thought I would die’: Glasgow grandad at death's door with Covid grateful to be alive

The Pollok grandad thought he was going to die on a hospital floor after catching the virus but soon recovered and went on to complete a 50k walk for charity.

When interviewing Dominic and his son Barry, they both went into great detail about the hospital experience for them both and the 67-year-old’s recovery, giving our readers an insight into what it was like for him to catch Covid-19.

Glasgow Times:

Despite being told he was close to death, Dominic was determined to get back to his normal self and took up walking during his recovery. The money he raised was donated to a charity close to his heart - the John O’Byrne Foundation.

Despite coronavirus remaining a threat, restrictions were relaxed in August. But, some businesses were forced to remain closed and the owners were determined to have this changed.

I spoke to Neil Halls who was left devastated due to the downturn of him and his wife’s soft play centre in Clydebank.

Back in September, they had to make 10 of their employees redundant and were £30,000 in rent arrears.

Glasgow Times:

Neil’s effort to appeal for help for the soft play sector across the country was inspiring.

Read more: Couple devastated by 'discriminatory' rules against soft play business

Moving away from Covid related stories seems strange since we have been talking and hearing about the virus for the most part of this year. But, on one of my first early shifts, I arrived into the office at 6.30am and was taken aback when I logged onto my social media accounts.

It was the morning after the Scotland men’s football team won the penalty shoot-out for their place to compete in the UEFA Euro 2020 finals - for the first time in more than two decades.

After watching the game and promptly going to sleep for work afterwards, I was blessed to see and share the country’s thrilled reaction the following day.

Read more: UEFA Euro 2020: Scotland reacts to penalty shoot-out win

Social media was inundated with posts of congratulations and celebrations and it was good to see so many people excited after the win.

After thousands of events being cancelled across the city, one that was able to go ahead was GlasGLOW at Botanic Gardens.

Glasgow Times:

I got the privilege of attending to take photos for the paper and website. The outdoor light show was Covid-safe and one of few events that was able to provide fun for people of all ages across our city.