We all have a part to play in recovery
After over 100 days in lockdown, it is welcome to see our high streets starting to reopen, even if the shopping experience does look very different.
Thanks to the Herculean effort of people across Perth and Kinross, we have been able to get to a position where we are able to suppress the virus enough in order to start opening retail and even hospitality businesses in the weeks ahead.
Figures from the National Records of Scotland show a very reassuring decline in COVID-19 related deaths in Perth and Kinross since the local peak at the end of April and beginning of May.
This has only been possible because of the dedication that you have all shown by following the public health advice issued by the Scottish Government.
As we start leaving our homes a little more regularly in order to support those businesses that have been forced to keep their doors closed for months, it is important that we all continue to take precautions and continue to follow the updated advice.
In the last week or so, you may have started to hear the national clinical director Jason Leitch talking about ‘FACTS’.‘
FACTS’is an acronym for: Face coverings in enclosed spaces; Avoid crowded places; Clean your hands and surfaces regularly;Twometre social distancing; Self-isolate and book a test if you develop coronavirus symptoms.
If we are to continue to open up the economy and avoid a second spike, it is crucial that we all follow this advice.
During the lockdown period I have tried to do my bit by shopping locally where possible, in order to help those small businesses who have done so well by adapting to the difficult trading conditions suddenly imposed on them.
Some of the most agile and creative businesses have built up home delivery models they would never have dreamed of running some months ago. From the grocers delivering veg boxes, the restaurants who are offering cook-at-home options and the distillers making hand sanitiser, the businesses of Perthshire have really shown their worth in our communities.
It is crucial that as more and more businesses start to open, that we do what we can to support them.
Sadly, we are already hearing of many businesses who have not been able to shoulder this immensely disruptive time. We know that unemployment is going to be a real issue for us to tackle going forward.
One of the ways that we can help to stem that tide is by continuing to support those businesses who are able to open up going forward.
I appreciate that belts have already tightened for many households across the county, but if we can continue to make the small changes that we have made to our spending habits locally, we will emerge out of this crisis together.
An intrepid Blackford endurance runner turned his local hill into Everest to complete a mammoth challenge.
David Wallace (44) had been in training to tackle the renowned Ramsay’s Round mountain event up in Fort William before the coronavirus pandemic halted plans.
With attempts suspended, David remained determined to put his training to good use and instead turned his immediate attentions to the concept of ‘Everesting’.
That involves picking any hill anywhere in the world and completing repeats of it in a single activity until you climb 8848m – the equivalent height of Mt Everest.
David’s hill of choice was the 422 metre Kinpauch and, last month, he set-off at 3am - before sunrise - to begin his quest to reach the top of the world.
Twenty-one hours and 60 ascents later ‘Everest’ had been conquered and more, with a total height of 9496m covered and an astonishing 101.2km of running.
“A couple of the guys in the village had mentioned you can do an ‘Everest’ attempt on any local hill,” said David, who has lived in Blackford for six years.
“The top of my local hill is only two miles from my house, so it was all very doable even in the tightest of restrictions.
“Logistically it was fairly straightforward. I was never too far away from the top at any one point.
“I took a rucksack of food and fluid up to the top and then ran up and down two different sides of it. There were 60 ascents in total.
“I knew roughly what to expect, albeit I had never repeated the same route for such a long time.
“I was able to break it down quite simply in my head. It was half a mile climbing, half a mile descending and repeating.”
David received the support of
David Wallace during his Everesting challenge friends and villagers who became aware of his challenge.
He said: “There were some guys who came out and ran with me in the morning. Others were out on the hill, which was a boost.
“Everyone was very supportive and has admired what I’ve done.”
Not a stranger to long-distance tests of endurance, David has become used to dealing with the recovery process in the days that follow.
“The recovery has been just as quick if not quicker than previous challenges,” he said. “By the Monday I was able to walk down the stairs.
“The legs have been fine and I was back out for a wee jog up the hill on Thursday night. Everything is still working okay.”
David concluded: “I don’t know if I’d ever actually want to climb Everest. But I do enjoy running in the hills and the mountains.”