EMERGING AFTER LOCKDOWN

​Well, what a strange few months we’ve all been through. Anxious, liberating, devastating, enlightening… whatever it has been for you, we can all agree that it was completely unprecedented. In this world that we have come to know and accept as ours, it is fair to say that no-one really saw this coming, not entirely. Not when you get down to the nitty gritty of what lockdown would really mean for us all; home schooling; the closest of families having to isolate from one another; businesses all of a sudden realising that there would be nothing for the foreseeable future, and for many of us, loneliness. 

It is becoming, however, more and more apparent that our world is now filled with little pockets of ingenuity, rising from the ashes like phoenixes. It was hard to see them at first, everyone with their heads in their hands, but as you start to notice one, then two, it is hard not to see them for they are everywhere. 

​Small businesses forced to think outside the box offering truly brilliant services online, all from the isolation of their own homes, theatres streaming performances live from the artists’ residences, community groups pulling together and making sure even the most vulnerable have everything they need in the safety of their own home, local shops turning their front doors in to serving hatches, and contactless payments being made through the glass. 

​​Here at Wingfield Barns we have been through a whole range of emotions; disbelief; frustration; anger; resignation, and finally… hope. We are now, I am pleased to say, hopeful that there is finally some light at the end of the tunnel and that we are emerging, like a phoenix, back in to the world of arts and community again. 

The diary is starting to fill up, people are feeling bold enough to book that event they so sadly had to postpone earlier in the year, and buying tickets for all those shows which just weren’t allowed to happen a few months ago. The artists are starting to travel, working out the logistics of a tour all over again, but so pleased to be doing so! Wedding bookings are starting to fill up, people tentatively allowing themselves to become excited again after so much disappointment. There are plans afoot for a whole host of creative workshops – something for everyone of all ages and capabilities, interests and skills.
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And we are so looking forward to seeing you! We are excited about seeing our friends, and sharing experiences of live music and theatre, letting the creative juices flow and trying new things, all in the comfort of our little local venue at the bottom of the hill near the church. We’re still very much here, and we hope to see you all soon.