Stay SAFE indoors ‘Performing is what we live for’
RESTRICTIONS EASE THIS WEEK IN ENGLAND, WHICH MEANS EMOTIONAL REUNIONS FOR MANY PEOPLE – BUT WE STILL NEED TO FOLLOW THE RULES TO PROTECT OUR LOVED ONES ‘It’s the little things we’ve missed most’ Vicky Saynor can’t wait to take her son Mylo for a bowling
Families across England are reuniting as lockdown restrictions ease and indoor hospitality is once again open, including cinemas, pubs and concert venues.
It’s the first time since 2020 that people from different households have been allowed to meet indoors. Now, they can mix inside in groups of six – or two households – and celebrations such as weddings and christenings in Covid-secure settings are permitted, with up to 30 people.
But the virus is still out there with one in three people showing no symptoms, so regular rapid testing and following the Hands, Face, Space, Fresh Air guidance will help us all stay safe and stop the spread. Meeting outdoors is always the safest option, and if you do go indoors stick to the rule of six or two households.
With a wedding booked for May 2020, Hayley Smith and fiancé Sean had to cancel the big day, but they now see light at the end of the tunnel.
“We’re still only allowed eight people at Walthamstow register office, including us, due to the size of the room. After our children, we picked two people each, so I chose my parents. Sean’s nan, who’s just turned 93, is coming too, as well as his best man,” says Hayley, 34, from east London, who is mum to Olivia, ten, and three-year-old Sophie. “My family have been great about it – they’re going to wait outside to greet us. It’ll be nice to see all their faces as I walk out of the building a married woman.
“We’ve booked our reception at the Prince Regent Hotel in Woodford Green, and there will be 29 of us – one below the maximum. We’ve had a lot going on in my family over the past year, with two sad losses and a few difficult illnesses, so a lot of my family members have told me they need a party to look forward to, which is why I didn’t want to move the wedding to after June 21.”
Lockdown birthdays have been a necessary evil over the past year, so Vicky Saynor is looking forward to letting her son Mylo celebrate his 11th in style.
“Mylo’s taking three friends out bowling and to a restaurant for pizza, all indoors,” says Vicky, 45 who runs Bethnal & Bec luxury self-catering retreats in Hertfordshire.
“We’re a bit sick of going outside, so we’re excited to be able to do some stuff inside at last, and Mylo’s delighted. The new rules also mean I can pick all the children up from school, bring them to ours, get changed, then head out, instead of everyone having to go in different cars to the venue. It’s one of those little things you realise you’ve missed over the past 18 months. It’ll be a bit like going back to the old days, when we could do that kind of thing without thinking twice about it.
“When the last lockdown lifted, I was shielding, so even then we didn’t go out – we’ve stuck to outdoor activities. But I’ve had both vaccines now, and this will be our first time actually doing something indoors since March 23 last year. We can’t wait.”
Many of us have missed the magic of live music, but this week saw its return with Newcastle’s Northern Chords among the first to hold an event indoors.
Artistic director Jonathan Bloxham has worked with Polyphony Arts to bring a safe and relaxed classical concert to St James’ and St Basil’s Church in Fenham. Having put on a festival between lockdowns, they knew a socially distanced event, with just 50 tickets, would be the safest option.
“The seating isn’t fixed so we can put the household bubbles – all prebooked – together, like you would in a restaurant,” says Jonathan, who conducts and plays the cello. “They queue outside and are taken in one by one so there’s no mingling inside and at the end of the concert everyone leaves in order.”
All the performers have been taking regular Covid tests and the audience are happy to wear masks.
“If you don’t feel safe at a performance you’re not going to enjoy it,”
‘Our family need a good party to look forward to’ The countdown to Hayley Smith’s wedding is on – nearly a year after it was postponed
says Jonathan. “That’s why we have safety procedures in place. And the great thing about churches is they have high ceilings and large doors so they’re much safer from a ventilation point of view.
The concert, which featured local choir Voices of Hope, tenor Ben Johnson and former BBC Young Musician of the Year Martin James Bartlett, sold out in two days. It was a special night for both the audience and musicians.
“It’s the first live music people have seen this year,” says Jonathan. “A lot of the performers got quite emotional as it’s the first time we’ve all been together. It’s been wonderful to film and stream, but we’re trained to play live. As a musician, you can feel the audience in the room and we’ve all missed that greatly. That’s what we live for.
“Live music is a unique moment. That’s why it’s so wonderful. The musicians play the songs differently each time – it’s those choices we make for that audience and that space on that day. You lose that on a Facebook stream, so it’s incredible to be back.”
‘Live music is a unique moment. And that’s why it’s so wonderful’