At Christmas time, with 2021 drawing to a close, we have cause to reflect on the ways we have all risen to meet yet another year of challenges with great resilience.
In our communities, healthcare staff and volunteers have twice led the world in the roll-out of vaccinations and boosters. These efforts deservedly make headlines, but the very same commitment characterises all who tirelessly serve and volunteer in lots of different ways. Their dedication does not go unnoticed, nor unappreciated.
Businesses have overcome great obstacles, adapted and bounced back, but they of course continue to face the threat of disruption as the fight back against covid continues. The bustle of the high-street, the clink of glasses in pubs, the whir of machinery in factory plants, are sounds we missed during the worst of 2021.
In sport and athletics, our British competitors exceeded all expectations and raised our spirits. Whether England’s record run at the Euros, the 189 medals won by Team-GB Olympians, or Emma Raducanu’s flawless victory at the US Open - their drive to succeed against the odds, their resilience, is a major source of inspiration.
Internationally, our U.K. armed forces once again demonstrated that we have the best military personnel in the world. When thousands of men, women and children were at risk of violence in Afghanistan, our troops brought them home to safety. Their bravery recalled the sacrifice of generations past, whom we rightly honoured once again this November at remembrance ceremonies across the country.
Here locally, I have repeatedly been encouraged when visiting our churches, our vaccination centres, our army barracks, our schools, our fire and police stations, our local action groups - all experienced great challenges but faced them with tremendous resilience and fortitude.
With all of this in mind, we can look forward to the New Year with confidence that our national, community, and personal resilience is strong. Next year, just as this year, it is our reaction to adversity, not the adversity itself, that will determine our future.
This Christmas, let us remember how far we have come, how good it is to be able to be with friends and family, and how vital it is that we continue to stick together as we see off this latest challenge.