JAMES GRUNDY - Community spirit shines bright

It is safe to say that when we were all bringing in the new year, that nobody expected 2020 to be the year that is has been.

Within the first few months of the new year, the world was hit by a global pandemic, which would soon lead to a lockdown of our entire country.

This year has not been easy, with our area being under some form of restrictions for the majority of this crisis, from pub closures to the cancellation of weddings, from non-essential retail being forced to close to sporting events being cancelled.

Our lives have had to change in unimaginable ways, but one thing that cannot be denied is the community spirit seen across our town.

Whilst the public meetings, coffee mornings, and other public events I wanted to hold were unable to go ahead, I have still had the opportunity of meeting local businesses, charities, community groups and more to learn of the fantastic work and initiatives taking place in our area.

I wish I could name every single one of them (which would be enough to fill this entire paper) but unfortunately, I am bound to a word limit!

I have also had the privilege of working with Leigh Centurions to support their successful Super League bid for 2021.

I believe that this will be a fantastic boost to our local economy, and a much-needed boost to our local spirits after what has been an incredibly difficult year.

One of the most welcome developments this year, however, has been the development of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccination, that has started to be administered across the UK.

The fact that the UK was the first country to receive the vaccine is something to be proud of, and this, I hope, is the sign of the beginning of the end of this terrible crisis.

When the time comes, I will certainly be taking up the opportunity of taking the vaccine.

Finally, I wanted to take this opportunity to shine a light on all of our local NHS staff, local police officers, supermarket workers, carers, and more, all of whom have worked all year round to care for and support all of us in the local community, as well as to all those who have worked hard to keep infection rates as low as possible.

So many people have had to make unimaginable sacrifices this year, and I now hope that with the roll out of the Coronavirus vaccine in our area, at last, things may begin to return to normality in the new year.

Whilst this Christmas will look very different to those in years gone by, I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and all the best for the New Year.

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