EDITOR S LETTER
Time for reflection and new beginnings Belinda Hargreaves Contents Editor news@timesandecho.co.uk Jane Walters Advertising Sales jane@timesandecho.co.uk 07817128582 Erin Tuckwell Tracey Redfern Design & Production Times, Echo & Life Publications 18 Tape Street, Cheadle, Stoke-on-Trent ST10 1BD Tel: 01538 752214 www.timesechoandlife.co.uk life@timesandecho.co.uk
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W
ho else feels like the restrictions we had during the pandemic already seem ages
ago? Gone are the days of having to remember a mask as well as your keys and mobile - before leaving the house; gone are the days watching the news for the latest restrictions to be put in place or lifted it appears that life has, for many of us, gone back to normal. My heart goes out to those whose lives will just not be the same after the pandemic though those folk who have perhaps lost a loved one, or who are perhaps continuing to suffer from long covid, or perhaps lost their jobs and or businesses due to the surreal times of Covid-19. So it s Spring time a time for new beginnings, as they say. Not only are we seeing blooming new life in our gardens and public open spaces but this Spring sees new beginnings from the surrealness of the pandemic. Many of us have perhaps changed ways in which we live that could be: continuing to work from home; not going out as often as we used to; or ensuring we spend more time with family and friends, now that we can. In this edition of the Leek Life Magazine, we feature a large What s On section as there s just so much coming back to life in our town and surrounding areas. Leek Arts Festival has made a
most-welcome comeback this Spring, and so too will Scooterfest this May. There s also lots going on as our community joins the nation in celebrating Her Majesty The Queen s Platinum Jubilee. I know I have said it many times before, but we are lucky to live in such a thriving community within Leek and the Moorlands with so many folk going above and beyond to ensure we have a packed programme of events for all to enjoy. Also in this edition, we have a feature by our retiring Leek Town Mayor who reflects on her year in office; we also feature a number of other fantastic regular columns written by local folk each reflecting on the move away from the pandemic into new beginnings. Whatever your new beginning is this Spring I hope it all goes well and . don t forget our still-fairlynew-beginnings of the weekly Leek & Moorlands Echo newspaper which is out every Wednesday morning in most independent local news outlets in the area, as well as at Co-op and Asda in Leek. It is packed, every week, with all the latest local news, events, sport and my favourite aspect smiley faces of folk in our community!
Leek Hea Repeat Front cover photo by Brett Trafford Photography www.bretttrafford.com
