Dear Sir,
I would like write in response to Mr Lowery’s letter in last weeks edition of the Newton News.
The Big Club is like any other business, it’s struggling at this difficult time, trying to make sure it can stay open. It is doing so because of the hard work of the staff and the committee members who are trying to make the club a safe place to visit. There are dedicated people working tirelessly at the club free of charge in their own spare time making sure temperatures are checked, track and trace is in place, social distancing is adhered to, and the final strain is that of waitress service meaning extra staffing is required.
There has to be some changes, even if it’s not ideal, but it may not be viable to keep the club open past 6pm on weekdays when it’s at its quietest times, just for a couple of members who would like it to remain open. Covid-19 has had a massive impact on everybody.
People’s lives have been cut short, loved ones lost and hearts broken. Some people have worked throughout the whole of the pandemic putting their own lives at risk whilst others were safe in their own homes. Businesses are closing and livelihoods lost.
My Gran has just celebrated her 91st birthday in a care home, on her own, having not seen her family since March. People are dying alone in homes and hospitals, relatives not getting to say their last goodbyes. Funerals with small attendances as families are not allowed to give their relatives the send off they deserve. Everyone’s lives are put on hold, children missing education, fathers not being able to see their newborns in hospital. The list goes on . . .
So, Mr Lowery, you are very right, I hope your common sense does prevail, because if your pub closing early is the only thing during Covid-19 you have to worry about, then I think, you are a very lucky man!
Name and address supplied.
