BBC Young Reporter @ LCS
The Whirlwind of 2020
By: Zihan
2020 was truly a historic year. A whirlwind of scientific achievements, phenomenal discoveries, highs and lows. From the cancellation of GCSE’s and A-Levels to the summer Olympics in Tokyo being postponed, what could possibly be more different? The coronavirus pandemic dominated the headlines and changed our lives in always that would have been unimaginable before. With unexpected craziness coming in and out of our lives all of the time… there is still a lot more yet to come in 2021.
A very famous person that I am sure we have all heard of is Captain Sir Tom Moore. Captain Tom, is a former British Army officer and centenarian. The international sensation was knighted by the Queen in July 2020, in order to £1000 to the NHS by completing 100 laps of his 25-metre garden by the time he reached his 100th birthday - on 30th April 2020 – as he wanted to thank staff who had helped his recovery from cancer and a broken hip. In addition, he wanted to help those on the front-line fighting COVID-19. Although he completed his 100 laps with the aid of a walking frame on the 17th April, he continued with the challenge until his birthday. At the end, he raised an incredible £33,794,701 from more than 1.5 million supporters, with his donation page closing at midnight at the end of his birthday. He captured the hearts of the nation, and is truly an excellent inspiration. Just like Captain Tom said, ‘the sun will shine again and the clouds will go away’.
Another form of appreciation for frontline staff and Key Workers was the ‘Clap for Our Carers’ which started on 26th March 2020, only a few weeks after the 1st national lockdown. Millions of people throughout Britain clapped, beeped horns, bashed pans & pots in order to show their appreciation to the frontline staff. Although it was intended to only happen once, it was so popular that it occurred the campaign was subsequently repeated at 20:00 every Thursday until the 28th May – 10 weeks – as lockdown restrictions began to ease throughout the UK. This extraordinary event united the nation.
In the UK, there are currently 3 approved vaccines: ‘Pfizer/BioNtech’, ‘Oxford/AstraZeneca’ and Moderna. These vaccines could be life-changing, as they may take us the next step ahead to battling the virus. Through hard work, determination and dedication, the rainbow is just visible behind the cloud.
However, despite everything that has been going on, 2020 has taught us some things...
- Learn to love yourself, with putting your mental health first
- Admiring the little things
- Patience
- Independence
- Resilience.
These qualities are those that would forever be useful, therefore it is important to embrace them!
By Zihan