Warm wishes for 2022
Record-breaking temperatures see Britons enjoy final swims of the year as revellers cross borders to England’s curb-free clubs
A BALMY army of revellers made the most of record-breaking New Year’s Eve temperatures yesterday as the country prepared to welcome 2022.
And despite many major celebrations being called off due to the pandemic, England saw an influx of partygoers looking to avoid Covid curbs in Wales and Scotland.
Parts of the country reached almost 16C (61F) yesterday, making them much milder than European cities such as Athens and Nice.
Amid the spread of Omicron in recent weeks, some parties had been called off. But the warm weather did at least give many a final chance to go out and celebrate with friends and family.
Members of the She Swims Falmouth group stripped down to their bikinis for a New Year’s Eve swim at Gyllyngvase beach in Cornwall, while surfers took to the waves off Bournemouth beach in Dorset.
Meanwhile, young Scots were spotted arriving at Newcastle railway station in shorts.
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon had told people not to travel to England after all the major Hogmanay events in Edinburgh were cancelled, nightclubs were closed and social distancing measures imposed.
As a result, the usually bustling Merchant City district of Glasgow was eerily deserted yesterday afternoon, with chairs piled up outside bars and restaurants.
Many still decided to make the trip to England. Among those travelling south of the border were students Dylan Neill and Alex Cairns, both 18, who had travelled down from Fife.
‘We can’t go out properly back home so we’ve come to Newcastle for a night out,’ Mr Neill said. ‘It’s something different. If we’d stayed in Scotland we might have ended up sitting at somebody’s house. Now we’ve come here we’ll be able to go out properly.’
Also fresh from Scotland were friends Katie Neilson and Lucy Pryde, both 18, and Leah Grant, 19, who had arrived in Newcastle from Edinburgh after making a lastminute booking.
‘We’ve come to Newcastle for the clubs,’ said Miss Neilson, who works part-time in retail. ‘We did have tickets for a club in Edinburgh but they all got shut so we chose to come here instead.’
Not everyone in England was planning for a big party, however, with many also sharing their lowkey plans on social media.
And while the partially-restored Big Ben was due to chime at midnight before the traditional fireworks spectacular on the Thames, people were urged to watch the festivities on television. By yesterday afternoon the provisional daily maximum temperature was 15.8C (60.4F) recorded in Merryfield, Somerset – smashing the previous record of 14.8C (58.6F), held by Colwyn Bay, North Wales since 2011.
Today could see the long-standing record for the warmest New Year’s Day broken as well – it currently stands at 15.6C (60F) and was set in Bude, Cornwall, in 1916.
Hampton Court Palace ice rink was forced to close as the clement weather had melted the surface. Boris Johnson had urged people to be ‘cautious and sensible’ and ensure they took a Covid test and had their booster jab.
While nightclubs remain open in England, Covid passes are now required. And despite the crossborder influx, elsewhere in England desperate hospitality firms said the downbeat mood had kept people away in droves.
Some were resorting to cut-price offers in an effort to attract customers on what ought to have been the busiest night of the year. Alex Proud, who runs Proud
Embankment in Brighton, said the night-life sector was ‘screaming in pain’.
‘Bookings are massively down,’ he told Sky News. ‘In my venue in Brighton we’re doing a half-price sale now, and that’s unheard of in any venue.
‘Your local pub doesn’t do a sale on New Year’s Eve. It’s disastrously bad.’
The chimes of Big Ben were due to ring in the New Year – the first time they have done so since 2017 with all four clock faces visible following a £79.7million restoration programme, although only one was being lit up.
Details of London’s official celebrations were kept closely under wraps yesterday, with media organisations asked by County Hall not to divulge the locations being used – or face the threat it would be called off at the last minute if crowds descended.