Happy return as strong sense of community grows at resilient Brooklands School in Leighton Buzzard

With society tentatively opening up in line with the Government’s roadmap out of the pandemic, the Leighton Buzzard Observer wants to be with our readers every step of the way.

We want to hear your positive stories about how you/your family, your business, your club/society or maybe your sports team is re-emerging from the restrictions which have made the past year so challenging. See details at the end of this article for more details on getting involved and here...

Here Brooklands School in Leighton Buzzard tells its story...

“When we shut our gates and said goodbye to our pupils on Friday, March 20, 2020, none of us expected we would stay that way until September. On that last day we had a non-uniform day to collect food for the foodbank.

“This is one of the positives of this last year - our strong sense of community has grown even more. Lockdown and home learning have forced us to rethink how we interact and look after people in our community that need it the most. There have been many challenges over this year. Our children have had to learn a whole new way of working; teachers and parents too.

"None of us signed up for this: all of us have adapted, survived and even thrived. School and home have been brought closer; you have invited us into your homes in an unprecedented way.

“Now we are all back in school and what a joy that is. To see the delight and excitement of pupils; hearing the noise and bustle back in classrooms; watching that ‘eureka’ moment when a child grasps something you have explained. This is why we became teachers and it’s what we love about the job.

“As one colleague said ‘being back in the classroom, I feel like ‘me’ again’. Of course, alongside this there are still challenges. As a school and community we have lost loved ones over the last year; we have staff that are still shielding and we know that we have a huge amount of work to do to support pupils’ academic achievement and well-being ahead.

“But today - let’s focus on the joy and happiness at being back. The being ‘there’ for the pupils. The amazing resilience of the children in our school community who have taken the storm of this last year and risen up to meet it.”

> Why not get involved in the Leighton Buzzard Observer’s Happy Returns feature? We’d be delighted to hear details of how businesses and the community are emerging from the restrictions of the pandemic.

It might be news of a business relaunching, your youth sports team resuming its matches, how your school is coping with the ongoing challenges, how your club or society is ditching Zoom and is looking to meet face-to-face again, a family reunion or celebration which can finally go ahead, or the many other examples of events and activities we all took for granted slowly returning.

This is a great chance to tell your story over the coming weeks and months ahead. Submit 100-300 words to this newspaper on how the pandemic has had an impact, how you’ve kept going and most importantly news of your ‘Happy Return’ when it’s deemed safe.

We’d also love to receive photos of those joyful reunions/reopenings. Please send all details to [email protected]Here’s a handy reminder of the remaining roadmap steps.

> From April 12, non-essential retail, hairdressers and public buildings can open. Also outdoor settings like alcohol takeaways, beer gardens, zoos and theme parks can welcome visitors. Indoor leisure like swimming pools and gyms can open. Funerals can continue with up to 30 people, and weddings up to 15 guests.

> From May 17, ‘rule of six’ abolished for outdoor gatherings and replaced with a limit of 30 people. Two households can mix indoors - with the rule of six applied in hospitality settings like pubs. Cinemas, hotels, performances and sporting events can reopen. Up to 30 people will be able to attend weddings, receptions, funerals and wakes.

> From June 21, all legal limits on social contact is intended to be removed, with the final closed sectors of the economy reopened.