‘I’m worried I won’t be allowed to return to Wales for Xmas...’
Differences in lockdown rules in Wales and England mean people are not allowed to cross the border apart from in exceptional cases. Reporter Katie Bellis spoke to Welsh people living in England to find out how their lives have been affected...
ZOOM and FaceTime have become the norm in 2020 when it comes to communicating with family members you don’t live with.
Face-to-face, in-person visits have been rarer than ever, with rules either making such meet-ups more difficult or downright outlawed. And there’s an extra element for those families with members either side of the English border.
Moving between the two is only permitted for a small set of specific reasons, and visiting family is not one of them.
The end of Wales’ firebreak lockdown yesterday doesn’t change this and with England now under a second national lockdown, travel across the border is subject to a number of restrictions.
It means Welsh people living in England (and vice versa, of course) have had to go without seeing their families for far longer than they would have expected.
At times, there may have been a sense of alienation, and perhaps even resentment, as governments in Wales and Westminster clashed heads over whether travel into Wales from English Covid hotspots – as well as wider UK hotspots – was permissible.
Martha Holeyman, 28, is originally from Penarth but has lived in Chiswick in west London for almost five years.
The last time she saw her family was two months ago and said watching her nephew grow up on FaceTime has been really tough.
“My sister had a baby, the first in our family back in March. Luckily I went home to see her the day after she gave birth,” she said.
“The following weekend the country went into the first lockdown. I’ve seen my nephew about three times since he was born. With the Covid-19 lockdown rules in England and Wales changing so often, it’s been difficult to find the right time to meet up.
“Looking at the bigger picture I understand these restrictions have to happen. But I do find the lack of cooperation and teamwork between the nations quite bizarre. It doesn’t feel like we’re all in it together. On a personal level it’s really frustrating and quite tough.
“My parents and my sister’s family live near each other in South Wales. So I do feel like I’m missing out being in London and under different rules.
“What’s even more frustrating is how they’re coming out of lockdown just as we’re heading into one. I’m trying not to think about what Christmas will look like just yet, but I’m really hoping we can be together.
“If I’ve taken anything from this year, it’s how precious any time spent with my family is.”
Levi Pegler, originally from Caerphilly, is living in Bath and worries about the mental health of people every time a new lockdown begins.
“I think the United Kingdom should be moving together,” he said.
“How can we have England, Scotland and Wales so close to one another yet have such different rules for dealing with the same problem?.
“I don’t find it confusing as much as infuriating. It feels like we’ve got it wrong in terms of dealing with this virus from the start.
“I’m very worried that I’ll not be allowed to return to Wales for Christmas. I believe England will be in lockdown beyond December 2.”
The 21-year-old said he is “devastated” that he is not going to be able to visit family back in Wales: “I live with my two grandparents and two dogs who I miss more than anything. I understand the reasons for lockdown even though it’s hard. My own mental health has suffered at different times which is why I’m dreading this lockdown we’ve just gone into in England.”
Maddie Davies, 23, from the Pontypridd area, currently lives in Reading. She said the second lockdown being imposed in England just as Wales’ version is being lifted has been “hard to digest”.
“By the time lockdown is lifted in England it will been pushing 20 weeks since I last saw my family in the flesh,” she said.
“I love Christmas it’s a big thing in my family, I’m hoping this lockdown will help and enable me to see my family. I love Wales and I love the village I’m from, everyone knows everyone.
“I remember the first time I took my boyfriend back. He’s English, and he thought when I was driving I was thanking all the drivers.
“He was like ‘They are not waving at you’ and I was like ‘No, I know them!’ You don’t get that in England, so I miss that aspect of community and friendly faces.”
Angharad Planells, 33, lives in Cheltenham with her husband and one-year-old daughter, but all her family live in Newport.
“I was in the office when I heard that Newport had to go into a local lockdown and I welled up a little bit,” she said.
“There was no deadline. I understood the restrictions because the cases were so high and we have had family members affected by Covid so I completely get that it’s necessary.
“We had just done four and a half months without seeing each other when we normally see each other every weekend.
“My family missed seeing my daughter, their only grandchild and niece, grow so much from 14 to 18 months. As Newport locked down earlier than other parts of the UK we’ve not see each other for two months already.
“My sister is expecting her first baby on Christmas Day and I’ve felt like I can’t celebrate her pregnancy in the way I normally would. My mum and dad get so sad that they’re missing Ava grow again.
“We’ve almost made peace with missing Christmas but she’s two in January and we’re worried we won’t see them then either. It’s all for an important reason but I’m still sad. Covid doesn’t care that it’s Christmas and we have to respect that.
“My mum said it best and said if we have to have Christmas in April then we will have the dinner and put the tree up.”
Beca Morrell is from Abergavenny but the 23-year-old is now living in Bristol where she is studying for her masters.
She said: “I think it’s good that the countries are dealing with it in their own way.
“I’m glad that the Welsh Government has powers to do that, mainly as I think Wales has been dealing with Covid better than England.
“It has become a lot more straightforward now compared to the varying easing rules through summer.
“I think it’s now easy to pick up on what’s going on and full national lockdowns are straightforward as long as people adhere and don’t take advantage of Wales’ easing.
“I’m fully prepared to cycle home for Christmas for the day if needs be as part of my daily exercise to see my family and have a roast in the garden.
“It’s a shame at the moment to not be able to visit but it has needed to happen for a while.
“As long as the month-long lockdown isn’t exceeded I expect people to stick to it given there’s an end date in mind. If it goes on longer than a month with England all closed but Wales back open then I can’t see it working and people staying away given how great a country Wales is.”
Lynne Golding is 57 and originally from Gilfach Goch in Rhondda Cynon Taf. She left Wales and moved to Basingstoke in 1990.
“I last saw my family for my motherin-law’s funeral in mid-February,” she said.
“I visited friends in Newport for a small garden gathering for a friend’s birthday at the beginning of August. I wasn’t able to visit family on that occasion as several were still shielding for
vulnerabilities and age reasons.
“I visited Cardiff for a day out the day before Cardiff went into regional lockdown but wasn’t able to see either my friends or family as their areas were already in regional lockdown so I couldn’t go in, and they couldn’t come out.
“I missed (and miss) my home, and family obviously, but felt I needed to be as close to home as I could be if only just for the day. It was very emotional actually to be so close and not see any of them.”
Lynne said that she has several family members and friends, both in England and Wales, that are struggling “mentally and financially”.
She said: “I’m not at all confused by the different rules and regulations. I do however think they are utterly ridiculous and are only different for political reasons. If it were for true scientific reasons, all regions throughout the UK would be doing the same things.
“I have had friends that have had Covid and one friend has lost both inlaws. I am in no way denying that it has been a serious problem.
“We normally travel to Wales before Christmas and visit both sides of our family for present swaps and a lovely couple of days having early celebrations with each.
“Who knows at this stage if we will be able to do the same this year. I am preparing myself that it may not be possible and it is incredibly upsetting. I have never been away from my friends and family for so long, I hate it.”