Page 47 - Old Ratcliffian 2020 Edition

the day that schools closed, as he wanted trees covered, with online ordering, so that life, and I’ve made some lifelong friends.
to do something good for charity. He even you can have one delivered to your door, I think that Ratcliffe defi nitely armed me
said, “Look, Captain Tom Moore is walking avoiding all the fuss of people, masks, with the tools needed to overcome the
every day like me now,” when he spotted and hand sanitiser (the new liquid gold!). challenges that I’m currently facing. I have
him on TV. Not even holidays, tummy pains, Instead of the festival of fun that we had a positive outlook for the future, and I can’t
sickness or a swollen toe have been able to planned for my 40th in September, I got a wait to be able to experience face-to-face
stop Charlie from completing his challenge very rare round of golf in, and then it was teaching again.” Mollie is pictured with OR NEWS
every day. His last mile is due to take back to work! COVID has meant that many her brother, Tom, who is a current Year 13
place on Christmas Eve, and the village things have been postponed, people have student at Ratcliffe.
residents of Cossington are showing their missed interacting with others, businesses
support by coming out to run this with him. and jobs are at risk all over the place, and
Charlie is running for three charities, one life has had to change overnight. But it has
of which is Meningitis Now, as he nearly also seen some great ideas emerge, with
died from meningitis when he was a baby. things put in place that might never have
The second is Young Minds, as Charlie happened if it hadn’t been for the virus,
says that running helps the mind, and the and it has led to some very different ways
other is a local charity called Alex’s Wish, of working. Despite the good and the bad,
which raises money to help treat Duchenne I am hopeful for a better 2021, and maybe
muscular dystrophy. So far, Charlie has run even a bit of time off. I hope everyone is
over 242 miles and raised over £1,500, but staying safe and well.”
he would love to reach the £2,000 mark.

Dominic O’Connor (90) is a consultant
anaesthetist at Salford Royal Infi rmary.
During the pandemic, operating theatres
were transformed into critical care areas
for the treatment of coronavirus patients.
Theatre teams were deployed to assist with
the management of critically ill coronavirus
patients, whilst maintaining access to
operating theatres for emergency surgery
and trauma. Dominic’s wife, Dr Emily
Mollie Page (19): “Due to the pandemic, my Shardlow, is a consultant at the University
university experience has been massively Hospital of South Manchester, specialising
George Mount (99): “How do you affected. Obviously, we can’t socialise as in intensive care medicine. At the peak
celebrate turning 40 in lockdown? 2020 freely as we would like to, and all of the of the pandemic, she managed the care
was supposed to be a great year – one to exciting events that are usually planned of over 50 critically ill patients with
remember for parties, holidays, catching have now been stopped. The academic side coronavirus, which is over three times the
up with school friends, and improving has also been affected, as we can’t go into hospital’s usual capacity.
and expanding our business. Then, boom! actual lectures and experience face-to-
COVID-19 turned the world upside down face learning with our tutors. As I’m training
and cancelled everything. So, instead to be a primary school teacher specialising
of being in Italy in March (I know, we in special educational needs, I should be
couldn’t have chosen a better location!) on placement in schools, getting valuable
celebrating my wife’s 40th, we were experience with children. However, my
shutting our coffee shop, implementing placement school can’t accommodate this,
online ordering, getting up at 4am to so everything is virtual. To make matters
make sure that we were able to get all we worse, I can’t even observe lessons online,
needed from the market and, of course, due to some safeguarding issues. This
home-schooling! Since then, we have means that I can only have meetings with
put a collection hatch in place, so that the class teachers and other members of
we can provide food and drinks safely staff to fi nd out more about the school
with social distancing, continued with that I will, hopefully, be attending for
deliveries, increased our ‘Cooks Ready seven weeks in the new year (depending
Meal’ range, and implemented an online on the COVID situation). Despite all of
shop. This year, we even have Christmas these changes, I’m still enjoying university
The Old Ratcliffi an 2020 47