Miles Collins

The first wedding of the year…

Cumbria, in the north west of England has suffered desperately in the last seven months. The horrendous damage caused by the floods shortly before Christmas caused havoc and misery for everyone in the area. Homes, shops, businesses were destroyed in the worst flood in over a hundred years and still the damage is there for all to see. Bridges are still unpassable, shops and restaurants still closed with many people seeking new employment as a result.

A couple of weeks ago two teenage children were killed on a school bus when a car ploughed into them causing deep shock for the local community and the school children in particular. The sense of local community is very strong in these parts, when a tradgedy happens everyone feels the pain and the events of four days ago when a local taxi driver went on the rampage with a shotgun has had an immense impact upon many lives in the area.

I was driving through the area at the time of the shootings, twelve innocent men and women were shot dead and many more injured as he shot at passers by before turning the gun on himself and ending the madness. Once again the lives of so many have been turned upside down with everyone searching for a reason why. How does a community come back from such a tradgedy?

Two weeks ago we catered for our first wedding since we were closed by the enormous flood damage of last year. Getting the hotel into a state fit for hosting a wedding was very difficult with everyone from hotel staff to electricians and draughtsmen pulling together to ensure a special weekend for two young people. For me it was more than just another wedding, I’ve catered for hundreds and hundreds over the years but this was a celebration of a different kind. It marked a new start for many, not just the newly weds but for the local community as a whole and it is to events such as these that I believe we should focus our minds. For all the savagery in the world there are moments when life is worth rejoicing and I hope the people of Whitehaven and the surrounding villages particularly affected can find solace in some celebrations of life, whatever they might be.