The founder of the Magic Breakfast charity Carmel McConnell is grateful to The Tablet for “keeping me close to the heartbeat of my faith” when churches were closed during the lockdown.

I was delighted to join The Tablet team as a director in January. Carefree January, before so much of our normality was swept away by the pandemic. It seems so long ago.

Six months on, I could not be more proud to be in this role, not only because of a great affection for the magazine, but because reading The Tablet has become a restoring routine in itself, one I look forward to, keeping me connected to my faith and to the wider Catholic community. Time with a cup of tea and The Tablet has protected a spiritual space in my week and invited me to slow down, read, repair and renew. And to use the words of Brendan Walsh, our editor – it’s a stake in the ground, a reminder of why we are Catholic. It has been a precious time to reflect, to remember my values and to look beyond my day-to-day concerns to learn from a wider perspective.