Dear Editor, Scouting in lockdown has bought many challenges for our Leaders, all our Groups are having virtual meetings with our Young People. These meetings are proving very popular and for many of the young people the high light of the week. I am sure that this is helping them get through this latest lockdown. We are still seeing young people wanting to join and have a number of spaces. At the same time we are actively seeking adults, aged 18 or over, to join us in bringing Scouting to even more young people. I was heartened last week to receive an email from a parent who quoted “the enthusiasm of the leaders is amazing”
The start of 2021 saw me take on the challenge of Dry January, to be totally honest it is not the first year I’ve completed this journey.
In fact, it was only a couple of years ago I gave up any alcohol at all for a whole year – albeit it was for domestic abuse charity Refuge, which made it an easier task.
Before you stop reading, this is not going to be one of those articles on how-to live-in sobriety guide while running a pub. On the contrary, I have just been reflecting on how we can survive in a rapidly changing market in our pubs that for many are also our homes.
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The number of people dying in England and Wales from alcohol-specific causes rose to a record rate in the first nine months of last year when Covid-19 lockdown measures were in force, according to official figures on Tuesday.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said provisional data showed between January to September there had been 5 460 deaths directly attributable to alcohol misuse, a 16% increase compared to the previous year.
The rate of 12.8 alcohol-specific deaths per 100 000 people was the highest since 2001 when the data was first recorded, the ONS said. The reasons for this are complex and it will take time before the impact the pandemic has had on alcohol-specific deaths is fully understood, Ben Humberstone, deputy director of Health Analysis and Life Events at the ONS.