Autumnal scenery really is some of the best that the eye can see, to stroll amongst the burnt looking foliage and take on the smell of the bonfire that took place the night before, is a wonderful thing.
Afterwards we’ll go home and slip under the couch duvet and watch a thoroughly deserved movie in the warmth of our homes…… where some of us have been for the last eight months!
It has not been easy has it? Lockdown started with the Hywood Swingball Championship in the back garden (our Olivia crowned champion after 312 wins!), not being able to get a shopping delivery slot, painting the garden fence, watching a crazy fella messing about with lions on Netflix, the introduction of ZOOM to all and cancellation after cancellation to absolutely everything! It wasn’t all bad though; we sat down as a family to dinner (all eating the same thing for once too), we laughed at the same TV programmes, we encouraged each other to exercise, which got the endorphins going, we home-schooled and told them about what happened in ‘our day’, and about being hit by the dust cloud-inducing chalk board eraser. They learnt some of our music and we put up with some of theirs.
As we went into spring, it was with a dreaded inevitability that we realised we would have to postpone our planned comedy gig at the Aylesbury Waterside theatre, and this really tore my heart out. This comedy night was the biggest event I'd ever planned. Myself and Jon Richardson started this process in August 2019. It wasn’t easy to organise and was on track to be one of the best gigs in the whole of the UK, I was truly gutted.
Luckily though, this was only a postponement and will be back on June 20th, 2021. And on the back of this bad news I was invited onto ‘Russell Howard’s Home Time’ on SKY One! We talked about the gig and most importantly the funding gap that charities faced due to the pandemic. This went on to inspire family and friends to get up and fundraise... indoors! We had friends walk miles to our house for a bacon sandwich and glass of prosecco whilst being sponsored. We climbed to the peak of Snowdon on the stairs in our houses, we cycled, we ran obscure, unorthodox marathons all over the country, we played football manager for 24hrs, we had a LIVE gig on Instagram and we clapped for our unsung heroes until our hands were sore.
I also made another campaign film this year in which I told everyone that because of shielding I had lost the ability to walk unaided, and that staying inside had taken away the power that I once had, it had made me fade away a bit both physically and mentally. I wanted everyone to see and hear this too. Usually I would keep progression of my condition to myself, but it wasn’t just me, many other people were being shielded and losing abilities too.
Just this week I have been listening a lot to Hollywood actor Michael J Fox as he talks about living with Parkinson’s Disease, and that sometimes those of us considered inspirational and upbeat can sometimes get fed up with it all. He used to be a believer in making lemonade out of the lemons we’ve been dealt, but now he writes: ‘screw it - I'm out of the lemonade business!'
Another story on social media this year has been that of Rob Burrow. Rob played rugby league for the Leeds Rhinos, a club that has been really supportive of my fundraising efforts in the past. He played nearly 500 games for the Rhinos and scored 198 tries over a 16-year career and won eight Super League titles, two Challenge Cups and three World Club Challenge titles. More than that he was a pocket rocket, at just 5 feet 4 inches he was an explosive player with devastating pace, and because of his height, he was considered one of the bravest players in the most brutal of sports too. Quite publicly Rob has shown the devastating effects that Motor Neurone Disease has on a person, and Sally Nugent was allowed into the family circle for a BBC documentary, to bring us all the emotion that came with Rob’s life slowly draining away at just 38 years old. Many people call me inspirational and many other things, but Rob is the real deal. If you ask me where I'm looking, it’s at that man.
As we consume the last of the summer wine and start the process of pickling the onions, cabbage and cauliflower and contemplating all that December brings, it gives us a time to reflect, and we all have so much to think about. We could be sad that we’ve missed out on so much, and everything we took for granted before should never be so again. We must take into account that lots of people around us lost loved ones this year, and some so young too, in which case I think we should be grateful for all that we have and those closest to us, albeit two metres apart.
Like everyone, 2020 has been a year of adjustment and adaptation, but for me it’s also one with lessons learnt; not to take things for granted ever again, be more patient and, most importantly, be grateful for all that we do have. There are too many people to thank in a blog post, but a huge thanks to all that have helped us this year. Despite being in a pandemic we have raised over £30,000 with ‘Hywoods Heroes’ for Muscular Dystrophy UK, and that’s simply incredible.
It’s going to be a really tough few months, maybe years for many, so try to be selfless where you can be, loving where you can be, helpful where you can be ……and do it with a smile.
