On behalf of the Councillors of Shrewsbury I would like to send our very best wishes to you all in our 6th week of lockdown.
I appreciate that this has been a trying time for us all, particularly as the weather has been so wonderful and I too dream of lunch out with my family, or a pint in the local pub and getting back to visiting our wonderful independent shops and taking part in our fantastic events calendar; all those things that makes Shrewsbury a great place to live, work and visit.
Lockdown has meant that we have all had to change our everyday lives, from our children being home-schooled to our elderly being forced to stay inside. I share with you the anxieties that this time faces, where people worry about their livelihoods, their families catching the virus, the strains it places on family life. Those things we took for granted like popping down the road for a pint of milk or a loaf of bread have become very strange, solemn events.
But there are things that have heartened me gladly. Across the town I have seen people offering to volunteer and help support some of the most vulnerable getting shopping, collecting prescriptions, walking the dog or just even being on the end of the phone. As I do my daily exercise, the lovely rainbows I see in people’s windows always make me smile, and then of course, on a Thursday evening there is that great the sense of camaraderie as I go outside to join the neighbours and clap for the NHS – something that brings out huge emotions.
I would also like to pay huge tribute to the key workers in Shrewsbury, keeping us all safe.
The NHS staff are doing an amazing job and that’s not just the hospital staff, but also GPs, Health Visitors, District Nurses, Ambulance staff, Pharmacy staff and many more. Thank you also to the many staff caring for our elderly and vulnerable in homes across the town. The Police & Fire personnel who continue to engage and educate on the Social Distancing Rules and generally keep us all safe.
Thank you to our teachers; many are still educating children of our key workers whilst many more are still engaging with their students on-line providing work to keep them going and generally being some outside contact from home making sure they are all OK.
I would like to thank Council staff who are supporting the many hundreds of people who are shielding and need help, refuse operatives who are emptying our bins with a smile and our grounds staff who are still making sure that we can continue to enjoy our parks and open spaces safely.
But I turn to the whole reason why lockdown has been so important. While the national death toll exceeded 20,000 nationally, we have seen too many local people who have succumbed to this cruel virus and more and more people know someone who has suffered. I’m probably not the only person in Shrewsbury that watches the news looking for a glimpse of optimism that we are reaching the peak. And it would appear light is starting to dawn at the end of that tunnel.
But this is not the time to take our foot off the gas. We have weathered this storm for five weeks and we must continue and I urge everyone to continue to follow the national rules.
I know Town Council staff have been looking at how we can safely encourage people back to some sense of normality when the time comes and I for one can assure you that as the First Citizen of Shrewsbury I will be banging that drum, shouting about how fantastic our town is.
But for now – Stay At Home – Protect the NHS – Save Lives.
ENDS/