HOME TRUTHS
MP Nigel Evans enjoys a number of events in his Ribble Valley constituency and in London, where he goes to the theatre
At last I can now sense things getting back to normal. We have all suffered incredible constraints in order to combat Covid, and for a while I thought the new restrictions would become normal. Fortunately several events I have been to since ‘Freedom Day’ have smashed that depressing thought.
I visited Glorious Goodwood and got my first taste of a full crowd. The sun shone and I was delighted to see so many smiling faces and in the evening the Duke of Richmond had a ball and raised thousands for a great charity helping women back into work.
I visited the theatre twice with full cheering audiences to see Anything Goes and The Jersey Boys. I can recommend both – Anything Goes got three standing ovations!
Closer to home I visited the Royal Lancashire Show. This event is definitely back on the Lancashire scene and congratulations to Colin Mustoe and his team that made it possible.
I also visited Holmes Mill for their Food Festival, which was very well attended and congratulations to James Warburton and the team for initiating this great weekend of great food and real ale.
Then there was The Proms in the Clitheroe Castle bandstand. Despite the awful weather the Slaidburn Silver Band entertained throughout the evening. Only the weather limited the attendance – but next year, weather permitting, it will be back with its usual huge crowd.
To complete the sense of normality I attended a wedding with no limits on numbers. It was superb to see the local church packed and a beaming bride and groom, Danielle and Michael Dilworth, celebrating with their family and friends – as it should be! I see that the Ribble Valley has come out top in a survey of places to get married and I am not surprised.
Finally, I visited the former Gisburne Park hospital with its owner Guy Hindley. I was thrilled to learn that after the hospital closed in March the Hindley family were able to bring the hall back into family ownership. They have some really ambitious plans which will see a multi-million pound investment on our doorstep – a further boost to our incredible tourism trade.
So, while the last 18 months or so have been truly testing and with tragic loss of life, including three friends, there is now so much to be optimistic about.
While we know we are going to have to live with this virus, the vaccine and other medical advances means that Covid will not control the way we lead our lives.
The thing I have witnessed both in the Ribble Valley and in London since ‘Freedom Day’ is that people are yearning to get their lives back on track. They want to hug their loved ones and they want to celebrate, mix and party again but this time with a new sense of being alive.
If you haven’t had the jabs please go to the website and book your appointments. We’ve all tasted the misery of lockdown and there must be no going back!
