Gainsborough MP says 'we can see the light at the end of the tunnel' after year in lockdown

Sir Edward Leigh said: “It has been a massive challenge and we haven't got everything right, but the vaccine rollout is proof that ultimately the British people are good at responding to crises and helping one other.

"I am deeply grateful to our Lincolnshire medical professionals, our scientific researchers, and the public-spirited community volunteers whose combined dedication is responsible for seeing this through.

"We can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and it is thanks to them.

"I think we should be very wary of opening up too soon to foreign travel.

"We should learn from the success of Australia and New Zealand in containing the virus and allowing normal life to keep going internally.

"I would caution anyone in Lincolnshire against booking a foreign summer holiday which is not fully refundable.

"Europe is awash with new Covid mutations, their vaccine roll out is very slow, and the Government might well restrict travel abroad beyond May 17.”

And Ian Knowles, chief Executive of West Lindsey District Council, said: “A year on offers an opportunity for us all to reflect, as individuals but also as communities, on everything we have been through so far during this period of time.

"So many of us have suffered great tragedies and sorrow over the past 12-months, and together as one at the council, we offer our heartfelt thoughts, wishes and prayers to everybody in our communities, and in the wider community, who has suffered great loss over these past months.

“Let’s hope the next 12 months offers us more hope, so that we can all come together and remember those we have lost properly when the time is right.”

Captain Wendy Brown, Salvation Army Gainsborough, said: “We have received huge support from local businesses and the general public who have stepped up by donating food.

"We have also been working closely with local primary schools supporting struggling families with regular food supplies.”