A light-hearted newsletter aimed at bringing joy to others during the coronavirus pandemic is gaining popularity in Melbourne, and around the world.

Founded by Melbourne couple Skye Hughes and Jay Fitzpatrick, The QuaranTimes features a range of coronavirus-related articles, including dating advice during lockdown, cocktail recipes like the Breakfast Negroni, hilarious true stories, and tips for managing mental health.

Now, their playful project is taking off.

“We started with 50 people subscribing to our first issue, and by the time we had our third we had over 200 people subscribing,” Ms Hughes told The New Daily. 

We didn’t expect so many people would read it.’’

They cast their net wide when seeking contributors, and managed to get some friends from Ireland, Canada and New Zealand to pitch in.

A snapshot of the cocktail recipes on offer in The QuaranTimes. Photo: The QuaranTimes

• Click here to check out Issue 3 of The QuaranTimes

“It’s become a global collaboration,” Ms Hughes laughed.

However, it hasn’t always been easy.

Starting a monthly newsletter is an enormous task – let alone during a global pandemic. That’s why Ms Hughes and Mr Fitzpatrick did it.

“It’s really easy to get into a slump of being tired and not having energy, feeling drained by the negative stories in the media,” Ms Hughes said.

“We’d hoped (The QuaranTimes) would give people purpose – to bring that sense of community and togetherness in a time when we feel really isolated.”

Mr Fitzpatrick added managing the newsletter been helping him stay motivated after losing his job due to the coronavirus.

“I didn’t want to waste away with a whole bunch of time off and do nothing,” he said.

“For me, it was something I needed to do to keep busy and creative.”

• Have you found a creative way to stay positive during the coronavirus pandemic? Send a photo or video (and contact details so a reporter can follow up) showing what you’ve been up to at home. Email: [email protected]