In a couple of weeks, we are hoping the all clear will sound, well I know that sounds fanciful and I know it sounds like the end of a war, even though, to be flippant, the bombs have stopped dropping but the virus is still out there, we still need to be careful, we have been locked down, opened up to be put on tiers, then after Christmas locked down again till April, when then the rest of the none essential shops opened up. Pubs with beer gardens or outside facilities came to life, together with cafe’s and restaurants on May 17th we could eat and drink inside and finally mix (to a degree). It all seemed like we were coming out of a nightmare that we were blindly led into. Rates of deaths through Covid-19 were worse the second time round and in the UK deaths
per million people were second only to the USA in total. Then the vaccine came on board and through the lockdown new admissions and deaths began to tumble, the virus touched every part of our area, whether through just illness or sadly deaths, the vaccine once rolled out there would be no way in stopping us, by March over 20 million doses were given, the most across Europe, while we immunised the EU were still prevaricating, by now all of us who had the first vaccination in January and February has had our second by the end of April and the rest of the population are getting it or going to get it, hopefully by the end of July the rest of the adult population.
Our last coffee morning was February last. Hopefully, with a strong wind behind us, our next Coffee Morning will be August. We shall open the Centre on the fourth Thursday for photos etc. It will be great to welcome each and every one of you and to carry on where we left off and my saying is onwards and upwards. Lastly, and very personally to me, my aunt, Alice Bamford, who was a member with her late sister Mary from the early days of the Society, has passed away peacefully at the grand old age of 99.