The worst of times that brought out the best in us

AS ONE of Portsmouth’s more famous sons almost wrote: ‘It was the worst of times, but it was sometimes the best of times’.

There are few words left to describe 2020 — calling it ‘unprecedented’ became tedious by about mid-June.

The year promised so much globally and locally — a new decade, Olympics and big football tournaments on the horizon, events left, right and centre in and around Portsmouth.

But soon the calendar was wiped out by the pandemic.

We will never forget that it has been a year of heart-breaking pain, not just because of illness and bereavements but because of the nature of those bereavements; visiting scrapped in hospitals, access denied to care homes, families unable to see each other.

There has also been terrible economic pain, with jobs being lost by the tens of thousands, a quarter of workers being furloughed, and many businesses looking ahead with trepidation, not optimism.

In trying to contain the virus we had to temporarily lose some of our human nature, our social impulse.

We had to cut ourselves off from friends, colleagues and relatives, and we had to retreat in many cases to digital communication.

But while screen time may have become the norm when speaking to parents or grandparents, there was a new-found zest for wanting to help each other.

For weeks on end The News reported uplifting stories, from people who had joined local support groups to make sure those shielding remained fed and watered, to those who entertained their street — Elvis on top of his garage was one memorable act — to those who, following the lead of the famous marathon-walking centenarian Sir Tom Moore, dedicated hours of their time to fundraising.

Young and old made the most of the weather, keeping busy but also wanting to do something for the greater good.

And Clap for Carers was the perfect example — a spontaneous movement that saw all corners of the country joining in, and which proved a surprisingly moving moment on Thursday evenings.

We learned new words and phrases — lockdown, R rate and furlough all now trip off the tongue, and we are all accustomed to examining Covid case rates per 100,000 people as if they were the League One table.

We are all now used to wearing masks when out.

We all now give an involuntary shudder if we see a pre-pandemic television programme showing a crowded room.

We hope we can return to fully normal life soon, but it may take years.

But we —- and our towns and cities — will be changed, as millions across the country have realised that it is possible to work from home, eradicating commuting but reshaping how business premises look.

And as we look back, we mourn those we lost, we remember those badly afflicted and we rue the opportunities that were lost to lockdown.

But we also look back with a smile to self-inflicted haircuts, the craze for baking and the sight of whole streets doing socially distanced aerobics together. Truly, 2020, you were a year like no other.