As the Country heads into a state of mild euphoria at the prospect of re-opening again, we have to believe that this will be the last lockdown.
Like many other towns up and down the country, Sidmouth is full of business owners who have been preparing to welcome customers back for what seems like an eternity, however we now sit pensively waiting like a coiled spring ready to burst back into action on April 12.
It is difficult to put into words the emotions and turmoil that many companies have suffered over the last 12 months and for many it is far from over with almost obscene amounts of debt being faced by so many for years to come, so the ethic of shopping local and supporting all those stores you stroll past every day is now far more important than ever.
Equally the three lockdowns that have been such a bitter pill to swallow for many, have provided a few with the opportunity to sit back, take stock and venture forward in a way some would have thought simply not possible, but us Brits by and large possess a dogged determination to come out the other end fighting. We may suffer along the way but that is all part of the challenge we endure, isn’t it?
When the country awoke last June we were all too aware of the continued threat to our lives as scientists worked around the clock promising us a vaccine, but the reality now is that it’s here and it’s working, and without wishing to get into a political debate, the Government has been at full tilt on the vaccine distribution and as a nation we are in a far better position than plenty of other countries, so we should be thankful.
If the figures are anything to go by then we are without doubt heading back to the life we once knew, albeit with a cautious tone in our every breath, but it is a start nonetheless and we should approach every day with renewed vigour and view our businesses with the same drive and enthusiasm that we have for life as without doubt the last year has left us under no illusion that our lives can be snatched from us before we have time to comprehend the threat.
Opinion
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