Strayside Sunday is our weekly political opinion column. It is written by Paul Baverstock, former Director of Communications for the Conservative Party. 

Goodbye and good riddance 2020.

As the new year begins we can reflect on the tumultuous events that none of us could have predicted 365 long days ago. Covid-19 has become an ever-present spectre in our national life, threatening our health, grievously damaging our economy and sharpening the grindstone of everyday living.

From the collectivist blitz spirit of spring when we all agreed to “Stay at home. Save lives. Protect the NHS,” through a summer of cancelled exams and educational turmoil for our young people, to a late autumn second national lockdown and into a winter of new, more transmissible variants, remembering the “before times” brings to mind the universal human luxuries of social and physical contact, the democratic luxuries of liberty and freedom of movement and the relative financial luxuries (for some but by no means all) of economic stability.

There have been bright spots of course. The way the nation rallied publicly in support of healthcare and other front-line workers; clapping from our doorsteps as one, draped in the colours of the rainbow. Captain, (now, deservedly, Sir) Tom Moore’s valiant one hundred lap trek around his back garden on his walker to raise over £30m for the NHS. Myriad examples of local and voluntary support groups organising to ferry food and kindness to the isolated and alone. This was and is truly the best of British.

Our behaviour hasn’t been flawless. Injunctions against gathering and socialising were increasingly ignored as compliance fatigue set in.  This was perhaps understandable for reasons valid, for example choosing to prioritise our mental health and, for reasons less so, as a reaction to the ever-changing government-imposed restrictions, broken promises (the five-day Christmas being just the latest example), confused guidance and mixed messaging.

Fundamental trust in the Conservative government’s actions and motives has been damaged too. From the scandal of eye-wateringly large contracts awarded, without due process, or even prior qualification, to the Chumocracy to supply flawed PPE; to its tone deaf refusal to provide free school meals for children who needed them; to the latest example, a national NHS Test & Trace programme (actually run by Public Health England) based initially on the idea that a single technology, developed at the centre, could meet the hugely diverse character and needs of the British population; one worries that our government, just over a year into its term, is in office but not in power.

And they are spending staggering sums of our money in the process; over £10bn was spent on PPE; Test & Trace, the latest failed attempt to build a national technology system, has so far cost the taxpayer £22bn, yes, that’s £22 BILLION!. Only when council leaders reacted with fury at the Test & Trace system’s unfolding and predictable inefficacies did the project pivot to work with and exploit the knowledge and existing networks of local authorities.

Scratching the surface reveals that Serco, one of the private companies leading the effort, have themselves subcontracted twenty other private businesses to help deliver the work. It has been a fiasco and a colossal waste of taxpayers’ money. Come the revolution heads should roll but it is nonetheless rumoured that Dido Harding, the head of Test & Trace, will be rewarded with the position of NHS England Chief Executive on Sir Simon Stevens’s impending retirement. I kid you not.

My hope is that, if anything, the events of the past year will cause us to look again at the type of country we want to build. One in which the public good becomes paramount, one in which health and wellbeing (particularly for the less well to do) become the North Stars guiding politicians and policymakers in their actions, one in which we define anew what constitutes, in both conception and implementation, the affairs of state. If not a bigger state then a more activist state. A state that understands and acts on its obligations to care for its people first and one that recognises that capital does not, as we have seen yet again, a soul possess.

However, I suspect that with a Brexit deal now signed, whatever you think of it on the merits, the government will charge ahead with policies designed to stimulate business and trade. From free ports to enterprise zones, from tax incentives to fiscal stimulus, the government has to rebuild a battered economy. If it is to do so and return itself to our electoral (or at least opinion poll) affections, then it must demonstrate that it has “levelled up” the economy while delivering humane social improvements.

I wish you all a happier, more contented and above all healthy 2021.  With mass vaccinations now underway, I very much hope that will be the case, so that when spring comes around again, we will experience the rebirth, rejuvenation, renewal, resurrection and regrowth that the season usually promises.

Let’s hope too that the bright, sunny, international trading uplands long promised by the Brexiteers comes to fruition and that the Conservative “levellers” spend the spoils on the areas and initiatives that need it most.

That’s my Strayside Sunday.

Peter Cookson, owner of Spear Travels in Boroughbridge, reflects on the way the covid pandemic undermined the business he had spent 30 years building up – and looks forward to the start of a new year.

We were in Singapore last Christmas meeting our two-month-old grandchildren for the first time. That was when we saw the first indications of the new infection. Fears were rising of a ‘SARS-like’ epidemic coming again.

Unfortunately, whilst we were there, I had picked something up on the plane. I ended up in hospital with pneumonia. I was given a test for “’flu” and I now wonder what that test really was for and what I actually had? Either way, the test was negative.

‘Radically different’

We returned to Singapore a couple of weeks later to help with their house move and the twins. We were due to be at our second home in Corfu in February to check it out, so we flew from the UK to Athens and onwards to Singapore.

This is when the potential of this new disease was obvious. Leaflets in our seat pockets on the plane dated early December 2019 advised us of the risks of the new “flu-like” symptoms and to make sure we reported them. The cabin crew were masked and mask wearing was advised but not mandatory.

The atmosphere in Singapore this time, even though it was only two weeks later, was radically different. We stayed for two weeks to help them move and were glad to leave. It was obvious that this infection was going to spread more easily than SARS.

In hindsight, as things panned out, we were incredibly lucky to have been able to go and see our grandchildren but, like so many others now, we haven’t seen them since. Zoom is great, but no substitute.

On our arrival back in the UK in mid-February, panic had set in as to what covid would mean for our country. It was difficult to separate our concerns for our personal welfare from those selfish concerns for our 12-strong travel agency business which we had spent nearly 30 years building up.

We realised it was going to be a tough summer, but none of us thought we would still be talking about this now. With the impact of covid and Brexit still unknown, our worries will continue well into 2021.

Without furlough pay, CBILS loans and various grants, it would have been difficult to continue.  I often “joke” about “30 years of hard work being written off in 30 days”, but that’s what it felt like by the end of March.

Read more:

• Free courses for furloughed and unemployed in Harrogate
• WATCH: Furloughed hotel worker cleans up the Stray

Our company had always been financially successful, which stood us in good stead with our cash reserves. But can you imagine a business where you are giving back nearly all your revenue for the previous year, because of cancelled bookings, and for what you had done in 2020, with no new business coming in?

It was 10 months of hell, but everyone is in the same boat and none of it is our fault. Our aims were always to protect jobs, and with furlough and CBILS loans, we have been able to do that.

I don’t usually celebrate New Year’s Eve but this year I will make an exception and be glad to welcome in 2021 with open arms!

For businesses, it has been a challenging and worrying year, in many different ways. Tim Waring, leading estate agent and chartered surveyor at Lister Haigh, reflects on what started as a normal year but soon began to change.

Looking back over the past year, one of my happier times was a fabulous day during a group ski trip to France. We’d just had a day with blue sky and sunshine in Val D’Isere, and then the Saturday night dinner is our dining highlight of the trip.

But this tranquil setting came to an abrupt end. After the first course, we were told everything was closing that night.

It was a real wake up call given I guess we had been in our world for three or four days beforehand. My other half had ironically told me I was in a bubble and didn’t appreciate how difficult things were becoming.

It proved to be a prophetic turn of phrase. It all seems such a long time ago given everything that has happened since.

I was lucky my estate agency was only closed for two months. Since reopening, the property market has been a hive of activity, helped, in no small part, by the stamp duty incentive offered by the Chancellor.

Meanwhile, I have friends in the retail and hospitality sectors who have seen their businesses decimated after two national lockdowns and ongoing tier restrictions. Some may well not re-open in 2021.

Read more:

• Harrogate estate agents relieved at stamp duty holiday
• District estate agent reports a surge in home-buyer interest

So I cannot consider myself hard done to, when one of the things I missed out on this year was celebrating a big birthday with friends in April.

Lockdown has fast tracked my relationship with the aforementioned girlfriend to the point that I now consider we are partners, and happily in a support bubble.

But yet, one friend has died from this awful virus, and at least two others have had hard times in hospital because of it.

I might have not seen my son who lives in London for many months, but fortunately technology has allowed us to keep in contact in a way that wouldn’t have been possible just a few years ago.

My grandson, Arthur, was only five months old when this wretched thing started. Now he is walking and already proving to be a typical toddler. He lives in Harrogate, so I have been able to see him regularly.

I love re-watching a video of him trying to walk and instead falling over in the leaves. Yet another reason to feel I have been luckier than most in 2020.

So that’s why, all things considered, I think I’ve been luckier than most of late. What happens next year – who knows?

When the Bank of England says things are “unusually uncertain”, maybe that says it all.

The Latin phrase carpe diem, “seize the day”, comes to mind when one reflects on the last 12 months.

Richard Webb, director of health and adult services for North Yorkshire County Council, led the authority’s covid response through the year. He tells the Stray Ferret he has not forgotten those lost to the coronavirus pandemic.

’Tis the season to be… jolly? Maybe it’s more about being careful and kind?!

What a year!

The Harrogate district, like the rest of North Yorkshire and the world, has spent much of the last 12 months wrapped in the nightmare of covid-19.

Sadly, too many of our fellow residents will be mourning loved ones taken by the virus. Empty chairs around festive tables will denote a loss that is only too real. Behind every number is a human being; someone with a life story and loved ones. We must, and will, remember them.

It has been a sobering year for those of us working in public health and adult social care. In March, we were supporting NHS colleagues who were converting Harrogate Convention Centre into the Yorkshire and Humber Nightingale Hospital.

I remember one particularly poignant Friday afternoon call with the Bishop of Ripon, talking about the projected huge numbers of deaths, how we would ensure ethical and personalised decision-making; and how we could support grieving families and communities.

The first wave was not as bad as initial fears, but it took its toll: at least 600 people across North Yorkshire have died from Covid and there have been more non-Covid deaths because people may have been reluctant to get the treatment they needed for cancer, heart disease and other illnesses. Mental health continues to be a major concern for us all.

At the same time, the response from the community has been inspirational. In spring, as everyone came out onto our streets to clap key workers, and the cheers rang out across Harrogate’s rooftops, my thoughts were with public health and social care teams, volunteers, supermarket workers, farmers, as well as NHS colleagues… the list goes on because so many people have worked so hard.

Harrogate Grammar School was among those to make and donate visors during the first lockdown

Local businesses did all they could to help with PPE when we couldn’t get supplies. People made face masks. The Harrogate Bus Company featured pictures of nurses, social workers and care workers on their buses, in tribute to their work. Major Tom’s delivered pizzas to care homes to say thank you. Dementia Forward developed the “Café in a Box” to support people with dementia and their carers. North Yorkshire Sport delivered activity packs to keep people fit. Harrogate Festivals cheered and stimulated us by moving a year of events online. Harrogate Town won a well-deserved promotion and, for a time, did better than my beloved ‘Boro!

Personally, I have learned much about myself and others. There have been great highs and a few lows. I have been moved by people’s stories, courage and willingness to help others. I have been inspired by my conversations with people who use health and social care services: they have played a vital role in helping each other and coming up with new ideas as to how we could support them better.

And I have been grateful that people have come together to ensure we have kept ahead of the national situation wherever possible: whether that’s getting more testing available locally, tapping into the massive effort of volunteers, or supporting care homes to re-open to visitors where safe to do so.

Read more:

• Care home visits to continue through lockdown
• Calls for protection for ‘frightened and vulnerable’ carers

Apologies to my family and friends, because I have been so focused on work this year. Even more than usual! To those who wanted to do an evening Zoom beer or Zoom quiz, sorry: I have become Zoomed-out! However, I am grateful to have spent lockdown in one of the most beautiful parts of England. There is something about making the most of what’s on your doorstep: walking, cycling, running, breathing.

Even as the vaccine moves us towards “living with covid”, it is likely, although not inevitable, that we will face a third wave of the pandemic. Right now, we are at the toughest part before the dawn: needing to keep each other safe; to drive down infection rates; and to look to the future.

It is also an opportunity. We can look, with different eyes, at where we live, and what we do and build something new and different. I am optimistic about our potential and about the triumph of hope, humanity and innovation.

Looking ahead, and learning from the past 12 months, I am reminded of a line from Robert Frost’s poem, Birches, which I learned at school: “earth’s the right place for love”.

Sgt Paul Cording, a traffic sergeant for North Yorkshire Police who lives in Harrogate, reflects on the most unusual year in his policing life, and how officers have dealt with the challenges.

The one thing that really stands out in my mind in 2020 is the start of the first lockdown when we were stopping cars on the A59 Skipton Road. At that moment I realised this was different to anything I’d ever done before.

You never know in policing what you will be faced with and have to be prepared for anything but nothing in my career led me to think I’d be stopping drivers in the middle of a pandemic and asking them to validate the purpose of their journeys.

I’m fortunate because I still have a job. I’m acutely aware many people haven’t. But the pandemic impacted my working life hugely. There was instantly a massive reduction in traffic on the roads. I remember driving between two junctions on the A1 and seeing just two HGVs — that’s on a road that usually has hundreds of thousands of vehicles every day.

The government advice on the pandemic was challenging to work out but the actual legislation did give us other avenues to stop vehicles and question journeys, rather than have to start with the usual questions about tax and insurance.

A police coronavirus checkpoint in action. Photo: Sgt Paul Cording

It was a difficult time and some police forces were criticised for being heavy-handed and flying drones in remote places. But the situation was different to anything we had previously experienced and you have to remember we were – and still are – in the middle of a pandemic and communities in the Dales have as much right to be safe as anyone else.

In those early days the ambiguity over how far you could travel and how long you could take your daily exercise for meant there were an awful lot of people descending on the Dales.

North Yorkshire Police has a reputation as a friendly force. This year has seen some strain on relations between the police and the public. Look at some of the large protests that have taken place nationally on issues such as covid and Black Lives Matter. There has been some unrest, but we haven’t seen any in North Yorkshire and, personally, I don’t think relations with the public have been strained here.

There has been much more community spirit this year. People seem more inclined to spend their money locally and I met more people in my street during the VE Day celebrations than I ever had before.

Fortunately this year I had Christmas Day off so I could be at home with my wife and son. I’m on the day shift on New Year’s Eve, but the days of going from pub to pub on December 31 have gone. I predict there will be a big uptake in orders for patio heaters as more people celebrate New Year at home!

A Wedding planner from Harrogate has offered some advice to couples that were supposed to walk down the aisle this summer.

Laura Lindsay, who is a wedding planner in Harrogate, usually organises around 50 weddings between April to August but said that everything is 100% a write off until at least August.

Laura has 5 tips of advice for couples who were or are still planning to get married in 2020:

1. Have a plan B: I know many couples are hanging in there to get married this year, but it is sensible to check with your venue what is available for 2021 as dates will fill up quickly.
2.  Think of other the other ways you can get married: Human ceremonies, celebrants, possibly look at going to the registry office midweek to do the legal part…
3. Use this time wisely: a lot of people are furloughed and at home so if you have any DIY crafts that you want to do for your wedding… do it now!
4. Make a list of all your suppliers: Helps if you are planning a Plan B wedding… As you don’t want to realise further down the line that your photographer or makeup artist is booked up on your new date.
5. Look at the positives: It might not feel like there are any at the moment, BUT your big day will be valued so much more, it will be an amazing celebration as we’ve all missed each other so much!