Life in Lockdown | Posted on February 24th, 2021 | return to news
Local people reveal their hopes for the future
Nine local people tell us what they are most looking forward to over the coming weeks when lockdown measures are lifted.
By Marilyn Barber
With lockdown measures set to be lifted over the coming weeks, we asked a number of local people two questions.
1. What are you most looking forward to doing when Covid-19 restrictions are lifted?
2 Is there anything you have come to realise in the last year that you will take forward for the future?
These are their responses.
Sir William Hanham, Deans Court
1. Going to art exhibitions again. Whenever I’m in London I try and catch the big shows at the main museums and galleries. Seeing great works of art, sometimes from collections across the world, brought together under one roof always strikes me as something of a once-in-a-lifetime event, and London plays host to some of the world’s greatest exhibitions.
2. During the first lockdown, for a few weeks we experienced a world without cars and aeroplanes constantly deafening us to the sounds of the natural world. I’ll always remember the incredible birdsong and the ability ’to stand and stare’, and what we have lost with industrialisation. I hope that in the future we can somehow all experience this again, even for just a few days a year.
Dame Annette Brooke, former MP for Mid Dorset and North Poole
1. I have been very cautious since last March and have not been to a restaurant for over a year. Lunch out with friends would be an enormous treat right now.
2. With the return to more freedom there are opportunities for us all to make different choices in the future and I feel these opportunities must be seized in the ‘new’ normal. As an individual there is much more I can do to tackle climate change. I have so valued our natural environment during this last year; I feel an even greater desire to protect it for future generations.
1. I have been very cautious since last March and have not been to a restaurant for over a year. Lunch out with friends would be an enormous treat right now.
2. With the return to more freedom there are opportunities for us all to make different choices in the future and I feel these opportunities must be seized in the ‘new’ normal. As an individual there is much more I can do to tackle climate change. I have so valued our natural environment during this last year; I feel an even greater desire to protect it for future generations.
Toni Coombs, member of Dorset Council and Verwood Town Council
1. First and foremost seeing my grown up kids and my long distance best friend. After that taking the holiday I missed last year – we desperately need some sunshine.
2. I will take two things forward – that a crisis brings out the best in some people and the worst in others (thankfully a small minority). The number of hidden vulnerable people in our community with little or no support and how we need to be less self-centred as a society.
Ian Girling, Dorset Chamber chief executive
1. I am very much looking to getting out and about with my wife in our new motorhome. It will be great to explore more of the wonderful countryside we have here in Dorset as well as a bit further afield too.
2. I’ve always known what a brilliant business community we have in Dorset but the pandemic has really brought it home. People have been so supportive of each other while under incredible pressure themselves. Bonds forged in adversity are the kind which persist and they will stand us in good stead as we bounce back from the pandemic.
1. I am very much looking to getting out and about with my wife in our new motorhome. It will be great to explore more of the wonderful countryside we have here in Dorset as well as a bit further afield too.
2. I’ve always known what a brilliant business community we have in Dorset but the pandemic has really brought it home. People have been so supportive of each other while under incredible pressure themselves. Bonds forged in adversity are the kind which persist and they will stand us in good stead as we bounce back from the pandemic.
Pete Matthews, the crazy juggler
1. Being a performer, I’ve missed my audience. I cannot wait to get back on a big stage and make an audience rock with laughter.
2. In the first lockdown I built raised planters and an epic restoration of a 50ft 300- year-old cob wall. Working in the garden and building has reminded me how much I love doing stuff like that, and I intend to do more things like that in the future.
Alan Breakwell, a former chief executive of East Dorset District Council
1. I would very much like to venture further than the local area to enjoy the beautiful county we live in and to go on holiday especially cruising when it is safe to do so. As chairman of the Tivoli Theatre I am looking forward to the day when the Tivoli can open its doors.
2. Live for the day and make better use of your precious time and wherever possible strive to make a difference. Being so involved in Wimborne I continue to be amazed at the incredible generosity of people and communities which I have seen in their support for the Tivoli Appeal.
1. I would very much like to venture further than the local area to enjoy the beautiful county we live in and to go on holiday especially cruising when it is safe to do so. As chairman of the Tivoli Theatre I am looking forward to the day when the Tivoli can open its doors.
2. Live for the day and make better use of your precious time and wherever possible strive to make a difference. Being so involved in Wimborne I continue to be amazed at the incredible generosity of people and communities which I have seen in their support for the Tivoli Appeal.
Greg Hoar, marketing manager at Wimborne Model Town
1. Without doubt enjoying live music and performance. Zoom rehearsals and YouTube videos aren’t a patch on the real thing.
2. In lockdown without the hubbub of everyday life, we can all benefit from a support mechanism of people and projects that can continue to make us feel good and motivated. We have enjoyed a quieter pace of life and have had to become more resourceful, patient and accepting of the present situation.
Moving forward to into a more normal environment, maybe we can bring some of these attributes forward, be more mindful of others and not take too much for granted.
Anthony Oliver, former Mayor of Wimborne
1. We look forward to the town coming back to life with the shops opening and people being able to move about more freely. The re-opening of the Model Town, The Museum of East Dorset, the Tivoli Theatre and most of all The Minster. On the In Bloom front getting the town back with all the floral displays which have been so much enjoyed by residents and visitors alike.. On the Minster front being able to once again attend and hold services.
2. Taking more notice of nature and the many local walks that we have found during lockdown. Need to make sure we offer more help to those around us, appreciating each other’s company and just taking time to stop and stare.
1. We look forward to the town coming back to life with the shops opening and people being able to move about more freely. The re-opening of the Model Town, The Museum of East Dorset, the Tivoli Theatre and most of all The Minster. On the In Bloom front getting the town back with all the floral displays which have been so much enjoyed by residents and visitors alike.. On the Minster front being able to once again attend and hold services.
2. Taking more notice of nature and the many local walks that we have found during lockdown. Need to make sure we offer more help to those around us, appreciating each other’s company and just taking time to stop and stare.
Linda Thornton co-founder of the John Thornton Young Achievers Foundation
1. I am most looking forward to enjoying our favourite walk along the South West Coast Path from Dancing Ledge to Chapman’s Pool and having our usual picnic at the Royal Marines Memorial Garden at Emmetts Hill
2. This last year has strengthened my belief that it is the time spent with the family and friends that we love which is the most precious gift. A continued gratitude towards all the key workers who have got us through this nightmare, and a real appreciation for the little things which I took for granted.
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