Catherine Meyer-Funnell

  Although lockdown measures are beginning to ease and life is starting to look a bit more normal, most of us would agree that there are still lots of lovely things we’re missing out on – holidays abroad, concerts, sports events, even just a night out on the town. It is important for us to remember that the good times will come around again and in fact they might feel even better than before. For instance, life’s simple pleasures will not be so taken for granted - giving your mum or your best friend a hug will be, at least at first, so much more meaningful than in a pre-coronavirus world. Six months ago, we would never have thought that our physical closeness to each other could be so heavily restricted, and hopefully in the not too distant future it will seem an equally strange idea that our interactions could be so limited. Being able to walk out of your front door and go down the street without thinking about wearing a mask or keeping socially distant – how incredible that will ...

'You're cancelled'. It doesn't sound like the right thing to say to a person. We cancel appointments and dinner dates, not people. Yet whenever someone, particularly a celebrity or somebody prominent in the public eye, voices an opinion deemed unacceptable it has become ever so easy to block them out on social media and call into question everything they have ever done or said. It is possible to come back from being cancelled, but the indiscretion will never be forgotten. It is a cloud shadowing the glory of their former achievements. In a world where everything can now be documented and filed away ready to be dragged out into the light at any random point in the future, it simply feels unsafe to voice a controversial opinion.  At this point I feel I should clarify what I mean by cancel culture. There is a difference between a genuine criminal being prosecuted for their misconduct and a public figure on Twitter making a stupid thoughtless comment. Harvey Weinstein canno...

Face masks have become mandatory in shops, takeaways and cafes, having already been compulsory on public transport for a number of weeks. And I for one am relieved. Not only does this rule allow for more consistency and clarity as to whether we should wear face masks or not, it seems as if our government are now listening to the advice of doctors and scientists. Our politicians have finally started to show some degree of leadership, rather than backing away from all responsibility – in other words they are actually doing their job. In this rather scary and confusing time it is a comfort to feel like there are some guidelines in place to help protect us. Critics have voiced their concern over the restrictions these rules will impose on our lives, when really this more ordered approach is far more likely to get us out of this mess and back to our pre-coronavirus existence as quickly as possible. If there is any way that masks might reduce the risk of coronavirus spreading and protect us ...