Greg
Principal
As we are fast approaching the end of term on 1 April (and that’s no April Fool by the way) it is hard to fathom how quickly this term has flown by. For many, April might be viewed like any other month, but for us in Wales there are a few reasons why we should feel a little more optimistic about the future.
Firstly, our vaccination programme is going well as vaccines become more readily available to fight Covid-19. Nearly 1.5 million people in Wales have already received their first jab which is well over half the adult population. The country also has the lowest infection rate in the whole of the UK. By the end of 2021 it is hoped that every person in the country will have been offered the vaccine which will undoubtedly serve as a strong first line of defence against future variants of this infectious disease.
Secondly, Wales is beginning to open up again following 3 months of lockdown which has to be a good thing! Primary and secondary schools have already started welcoming students back and after Easter, other institutions will be opening their doors, too (including ours!). People now have the freedom to move around and roam the magnificent beauty our country has to offer.
All being well, our stores will be opening up again soon and the hospitality industry, badly hit by the crisis, will hopefully be in a position to resume trading in May. The simple things we all took for granted like going out for a meal in a restaurant and having a drink with some friends will hopefully be back with us again in the not-too-distant future.
We are truly looking forward to re-opening our doors on 12 April and welcoming students new and old back again for real-world, face-to-face teaching. While our student numbers may be comparatively small, this to me does not matter. What matters is that we have managed to survive a tough lockdown which has lasted the best part of a year and has been incredibly challenging. Our staff have played an enormous part in this and we are blessed to have people who haven’t thrown in the towel but have remained both resolute and instrumental in facilitating the school’s survival for which I am most grateful. Like many other organisations in the same situation, we have learnt a lot over the past 12 months about being creative and doing things in a different way albeit with limited resources.
Finally, I can’t end this Easter message without congratulating the Wales rugby team on winning the ‘Six Nations’ this year proving that teams from small countries can do just as well! Good luck also to the Wales football team in the Euros which begin on 11 June. Cymru am Byth!!
While things may not be perfect, there are several reasons to feel a little more joyful about the future as we emerge from lockdown.
Wishing you and your families a safe and wonderful Easter.
Greg