Cancelled Big Events It is no exaggeration to say our lives were turned utterly upside down by the coronavirus pandemic. On a global scale, but also on a personal level. We woke up every morning with a sense of dread as to what terrifying developments the days held. And as more and more restrictions were imposed, it was almost impossible not to feel stings of fear as we saw the world we had once known descend into COVID induced chaos and confusion.
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n March, Boris Johnson announced what once would have been unthinkable – that we must leave our homes only when essential. In those dark days it seemed the only thing that was certain was that events which used to simply be part of life, like birthday parties, sitting exams and just the basic act of being able to have a haircut, would not be going ahead. And we had no idea when, or if, life would ever be the same again. Keyworker Kelly Tizzano faced a number of challenges during this time. Not only did she have to continue lessons virtually for her Boston College students during the global emergency, Kelly also assisted her son with his own home learning, helped relocate the hair salon she co-owns and coped with the disappointment of having to cancel a surprise birthday party she had organised for her lifelong friend. Kelly, who is a Business Management Lecturer at Boston College, spent three months teaching her 80 students online in the unprecedented circumstances that we were all thrown into due to COVID. And because the whole country was plunged
into Lockdown, enjoying a Friday to Monday break at Centre Parcs, which was to double up as a meticulously planned surprise 40th birthday treat for her best friend Becky Lillie, was absolutely impossible. ‘We were supposed to go on April 3,’ Kelly explained. ‘Becky and I have been friends since we were three, and it was her 40th birthday on April 10. We were supposed to be going away on the last weekend of her 30s. Planning for it started in November, without her knowing, and there were supposed to be eight of us going in total. We were just going to have a girly giggle – a really good time. I’d even got her 40 little presents! ‘A couple of weeks before we were due to go away, we all realised it wasn’t going to go ahead. It was so disappointing. It’s also been impossible to rebook, because we have to find a date that suits us all – a new date will have to fit in around the hockey season, and everyone’s jobs, for example. The weekend in April was the only one we could all do! ‘Becky had already done the same thing for me in September, the month before my 40th birthday.
We both love Center Parcs! It’s our special place, because when it first opened, I think when we were eight years old, our mums took us there.’ So much planning had gone into the girls’ three night getaway, especially as it was a complete surprise for Becky, but unfortunately, as with so many birthdays, breaks and big once in a lifetime events, it just was not to be. It seems the saying that things happen in threes is certainly true for Kelly, because the hair salon which she co-owns, Salon Alchemy, moved to a new home during the pandemic – about a year earlier than planned. The business had been based in Oldrids in the centre of Boston for a number of years, but as the time neared for hair salons to finally open their doors, the department store’s did not. Salon Alchemy had been planning to relocate to Boston Market Place – but not until April 2021 – so their staff and tradespeople pulled out all the stops to get it up and running in time. Kelly said, ‘they took it from the shell that it was and totally transformed it. We were fully booked for five weeks, back to back, because our www.simplyspalding.co.uk | SIMPLY SPALDING | 25
