Bolton boyfriend last March, she never imagined that it would be a permanent trip. After meeting her boyfriend Dan at a wedding just three months earlier, the 27-year-old had just planned to stay for the weekend and had only brought a small bag with her.
As the weekend unfolded and the first lockdown was announced, her flight was cancelled and it became apparent that she wouldn't be able to return home to Coleraine anytime soon. "It was really hard at first," Lauren admitted."When driving to the airport on the Friday, my dad jokingly said 'you better come back on Monday'."All I had with me was just a few bits of clothing, makeup and my toothbrush – it really wasn’t ideal!"Before the visit, Lauren had only visited Bolton once and seen her.
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