Christmas Message 2020

Well, we finally made it!

What a year 2020 has been, a very different one to what we are all used to. Covid 19 has impacted everybody in one way or another but we are hopeful that 2021 will be the year we start to turn things around from both a health and wellbeing, and economic point of view.

When the seriousness of the pandemic first hit home and gripped the country, I think most of us expected that we would be ‘getting back to normal’ by Christmas, but that sadly is not to be, and our world looks to remain an uncertain one for the time being.

However, despite all the negative news we have been hit with this year, it is important to take a moment to reflect on some of the positives that this year has brought. As a nation we have adapted to new working practices and environments to ensure we keep the wheels in motion. We have seen a decrease in fossil fuel usage and in the UK we sustained over two months without any coal fired power for the first time since the industrial revolution. Air pollution has decreased across the world with the Himalayas becoming visible from parts of India for the first time in decades. We discovered new species and nature has been given a chance to thrive in a world usually out of bounds, restricted by human dominance. At Austin Fletcher we have witnessed some of these changes in our own gardens as I am sure many of you have too.

Some of us have seen our work life balance ‘realigned’ and community spirit has been resurrected with neighbours coming together to help each other through tough times. Something that has sadly become a rarity in recent years.

Despite being apart from one another this year, the world has somehow felt a much smaller place and it has given us all chance to reflect on the important aspects of life.

During lockdown Austin Fletcher turned one year old, a birthday which we had big plans for. Sadly, they have been put on hold like so many others, but the important thing is that we continued to provide our services as a business largely unaffected. We worked remotely, implementing video conferencing utilising Microsoft Teams and Zoom as most businesses have this year, and importantly we attended meetings in person only when necessary, donned in the appropriate safety regalia.

Our way of working is likely to have changed forever, and in some ways, this is a positive, we have all been forced to adapt and embrace change much more quickly than we are comfortable with and certainly would have encouraged in a normal world.

We have proven that, in some circumstances, there are more effective and economical ways to communicate. Is it really sensible to drive across the country for a one hour meeting when we have access to video conferencing? Perhaps in certain circumstances it is, although, we now have a viable alternative for all those times when it isn’t and one that is friendlier to the environment. On the flip side, for all of its benefits, I think we can all agree that technology cannot fully replace our need for social interaction and face to face communication.

Looking forward to 2021, I am hopeful that we do not fall back into old habits. We should learn from this experience and take the opportunities presented to us to fashion a more efficient, cleaner, economical future for ourselves and the way we work and do business.

Maybe we will look back one day when the dust has settled and think about how, as a society, this pandemic has changed us, for the better.

Let’s stay positive and make 2021 a year to remember for different reasons!

Wishing you and your families a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Wayne Fletcher