It's been a year since Boris Johnson introduced a nationwide lockdown, changing all our lives. This is a picture portrait of that year - from A-Z.

Announcing the lockdown

An historic moment as the prime minister addressed the nation on the evening of 23 March 2020. The first national lockdown was announced as coronavirus infections soared around the country.

Bubbles

The pandemic has given rise to a host of new words and phrases including "support bubbles", where people living alone can join up with another household to avoid being isolated.

Clapping

The weekly Clap for Carers ritual, pictured here at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, ran for 10 weeks as a national show of appreciation for health and care workers on the frontline.

Daily briefings

Millions of viewers tuned in every day at 5pm for the government's coronavirus news conference from Downing Street in the early months of the pandemic, before they were halted in June.

Exercise

With gyms shut, people like Team GB gymnast Dominick Cunningham had to get creative about where they trained - such as a horse stables in Walsall.

Football - without fans

There were no supporters in stadiums, but that didn't stop the likes of Everton fan Speedo Mick getting behind his team from home after football resumed in June.

Ghost towns

You can barely move for tourists in London's Piccadilly Circus normally - but not during lockdown.

High streets

It's been an incredibly tough time for the high street, with shops forced to close due to COVID restrictions and major retailers such as Debenhams and Arcadia collapsing.

Isolation

People shielding have endured long periods of isolation. Second World War veteran Eric Bradshaw is pictured isolating after he tested positive for COVID-19 - he was recently reunited with his family for the first time in almost a year.

Juggling

Families have had to balance children's homeschooling during the lockdowns and parents and carers working from home.

Key workers

There has been widespread praise for key workers, like Belfast bus driver Catherine McNeill, who have done vital jobs during the lockdowns.

Loo roll

Remember these infuriating scenes from the early weeks of the first lockdown? Empty aisles, similar to this supermarket in Glasgow, became common as panic buyers needlessly cleared the shelves of items including loo roll and pasta.

Masks

Scientists were initially divided about their effect in stopping coronavirus but they are now a familiar sight in indoor spaces - here, students wear protective face masks during a lesson at Harris Academy Sutton in south London.

Neighbours

Lockdown was good for getting to know your neighbours. Lorna and Ivars Kocons (left) and Ruth and Robert Reilly shared a tea party in Clapham, south London, to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day.

Online deliveries

The lockdowns changed many people's shopping habits. Research in May found online grocery shopping had rocketed by 75% over three months, compared with the same period last year.

Pubs

Pubs and restaurants have been forced to close for much of the year due to COVID restrictions - leaving an uncertain future for many businesses and their staff, and drinkers longing for a proper pint.

Quarantine

With the emergence of new coronavirus variants, travellers entering Britain from COVID-19 hotspots were ordered to quarantine in hotels - at a cost of 拢1,750 for 10 days.

Rules

Can I meet a friend for a coffee outside? Can I sit on a park bench? How far can I ride a bike for exercise? The lockdowns imposed restrictions on our daily lives not seen since wartime - and the ever-changing rules posed questions we never thought we'd have to ask.

Social distancing

From two metres to "one-metre plus", health experts have said social distancing could be needed for several years. Friends grouped together to watch Sam Fender in Newcastle in what organisers said was the world's first socially-distanced gig.

Tom Moore

Captain Sir Tom Moore inspired the nation in lockdown by raising tens of millions of pounds for the NHS. Tributes poured in from around the world following his death at the age of 100 in February.

Umbrellas

With little else to do during the lockdowns, walking has become many people's favourite past-time - come rain or shine.

Vaccines

It's hoped it will be our way back to normality - the UK's vaccine rollout has been one of the fastest in the world, with the government aiming to offer the jab to every adult by the end of July.

Weddings

They've been delayed for couples across the country after being banned in the first lockdown, before being allowed but only with a limited number of guests. This newly-married couple take part in a video call after their ceremony in Nottingham.

Patient

X

A nationwide search was launched for one individual - dubbed Patient X - who was known to be infected with the Brazilian variant but hadn't been found, before they were eventually tracked down in Croydon, south London.

YouTube tutorials

Fitness guru Joe Wicks has been watched millions of times on YouTube as his daily PE sessions helped to keep the nation fit during the lockdowns.

Zoom

From work meetings to quizzes with family and friends, video call apps such as Zoom have become part of everyday life - even the Queen uses them.

Credits

Research: Dan Daukes, Picture Editor

Words: David Mercer, news reporter

Pictures: Reuters / PA / Shutterstock / AP