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People are sharing pictures that 'prove' they went to a British school in hilarious viral Twitter thread

Jane Norman carrier bags were once a popular accessory for carrying PE kit in UK schools. (Twitter)
Jane Norman carrier bags were once a popular accessory for carrying PE kit in UK schools. (Twitter)

People are pining for simpler times during the pandemic.

So it’s unsurprising that when one Twitter user asked, “Show me a picture that PROVES you went to a British school,” he received dozens of hilarious and nostalgic responses.

The viral thread has received more than 5,000 ‘likes’ as well as over 2,000 comments and 4,000 shares.

It all started when the instigator, called Michael, shared images of the CGP GCSE revision guides and Pepsi pencil cases – classroom objects familiar to a generation of UK pupils.

One of the most popular suggestions was from author Reni Eddo-Lodge, who shared a picture of a pile of well-used Jane Norman carrier bags, once the epitome of cool for girls carrying their PE kit.

Another funny reply was from a social media user who shared images of a protractor, an iced bun, bean bags and a playground parachute.

Other contributions included an overhead classroom projector, the classic book Of Mice And Men and ‘gooey aliens’ – the latter wittily captioned, “If you put it in the freezer it’ll get pregnant.”

Even singer Lily Allen got involved – sharing a snap of a paper ‘chatterbox’, much to everyone’s delight.

It comes after a study found we’ve turned to nostalgia in our droves to get through lockdowns.

A survey last year, conducted in collaboration with YouGov, found that people use nostalgia to generate feelings of happiness (44%), comfort (41%), gratitude (32%) and relaxation (31%).

It’s why rewatching TV shows and rummaging through old photos have been such popular pandemic activities.

Read more: Why we're turning to nostalgia to get us through lockdown

Speaking to Yahoo Style UK, Niels Eek, psychologist and co-founder of mental health and self-development platform Remente, said: “We tend to feel nostalgic when we are longing to be reinserted into past moments where we have felt happy or content.

“You might have experienced feelings of nostalgia when you’ve been looking at old pictures with a loved one or reminiscing about a past holiday with friends, or perhaps when you’ve played a song or watched a film and have found yourself transported back to that period in time.

“An international study by the University of Southampton, in 2017, explored the effects of nostalgia on mental health, finding that once people enter into a state of nostalgia, their moods are elevated, their self-esteem is boosted and they feel more content.”

Watch: These are the top five happiest places in the UK