I’m guessing you’re all seeing a lot of these and I’m no exception. As you can imagine, for the safety and protection of the people we love, we’re all in a bit of a strange situation. So you will see from my events and past events pages, pretty much everything I do has been cancelled and that brings sadness, especially to me.
Hopefully we will all be back to normal by the autumn and the festivals we love will all happen in 2021. I’m pressing ahead with my new show, Jonny’s Little Big Show, which was due to debut at the Lancashire Science Festival at the end of June. That was cancelled as of this morning. I’m storyboarding at the moment, but more on this at another time. We’re all upset, but these are unprecedented times beyond anyone’s control.
I can’t take advantage of any of the financial support mechanisms provided to freelance workers by the government as my income from this business does not make up 50% of my yearly income. This will lead to substantial losses for me over two financial years. However, this is a small problem to face over the coming year, when balanced with the inevitable loss of those we love.
My thoughts go out to those struggling with bigger challenges than me, including those working in social care and the NHS; those providing us with food, and the services still caring for our everyday needs; school staff, refuse collectors, police, fire, ambulance services, council staff, etc. Look after these ones.
Finally, everybody please be considerate and take the instructions we are being given seriously. Maintain spotless hygiene protocols, don’t stockpile goods and stay at home. Don’t go out to see you mates, or drop your kids off at your sisters. Keep out of reach of the elderly and vulnerable and find something else to do, even if that involves taking time to breathe. Remember what Ferris Bueller said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop to look around you every once in a while, you could miss it.”