MOAS mini-series: The Furlough

Recorded in December 2020, before lockdown 3.0 and school closures, Laura interviewed her friend Antonia Faust who moved from her role as an Associate Director in Bristol to set up a nut farm in Devon following furlough. Antonia talks about how her company’s work in events and immersive environments in retail settings stopped, and her partner’s building sites closed as a result of the pandemic. They had already been thinking of establishing an organic nut farm so took the plunge after first lockdown ended and moved their young family to a small holding in Devon. We discuss this change, and how Antonia is using her skills to also plan the small holding as a wedding and accommodation venue – with gypsy caravan! We talk about both the challenge and the excitement of this. We also reflect on ‘lockdown babies’ and the lack of space and time for mothers when no childcare is available.   This episode is the first of three in a MOAS mini-series for early 2021.  The series was conceived to capture the experiences of three fantastic mums and reflect on 2020; it will now hopefully offer some thoughts as the stress of work, childcare and homeschooling is more present and furlough is being discussed again.   Host and producer: Laura Broderick Editor: Owen Wainhouse Music by Ros Fraser