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Is it possible to find hope in a pandemic? One thing many agree on is that a pandemic can reveal much about who we really are, individually and as a society. Pandemics can expose the cracks in our health care and the inequalities that separate us \\u2013 nationally and globally. If that\\u2019s true, pandemics also give us a chance to learn how to care for one another better. That\\u2019s a message we often hear from those working in development charities around the world as they\\u2019ve continued to combat poverty and hunger, wave after wave of this pandemic. William Crawley speaks with Esther Lehmann-Sow, World Vision\\u2019s partnership leader for faith and development and Shahin Ashraf, Islamic Relief's head of global advocacy.

Devotional music and religious chanting have long been a way for people to express an emotional response to the world around them \\u2013that\\u2019s even more the case, as you might imagine, during a year of pandemic. For many British Hindus and Sikhs, the demands of this year has required them to find creative ways to come together while staying apart. Vishva Samani has been speaking to some of them.

Coldwater swimming is not for everyone. But there is growing evidence that taking a dip in a lake or the sea can help to alleviate stress and anxiety. There\\u2019s certainly been a lot of that about this year, which may explain why 2020 has seen a rise in people taking to the waters to exercise. The RNLI has even published new guidance to encourage people to stay safe while they seek out the stress-relief of a cold-water plunge. The poet and spoken word artist Harry Baker is one of those people. We asked him to capture his experience on paper for us.

Editor\\nTim Pemberton

Producers\\nCarmel Lonergan\\nLouise Clarke-Rowbotham

Photo Credit Worldvision