A Show To Remember
Hello gorgeous people, welcome to the final part of my COVID-19 story! I know we are all absolutely fed up with this pandemic and hoping it is well on the way out. However this last part I want to share with you is about my journey through 2021 culminating in my favourite memory of the year. A show that left me feeling exhilarated and determined to make 2022 my best year yet.
Like many other self-employed creatives I received no financial support from the government in 2020, after months being unable to work properly. In order to earn a proper living I had to ‘retrain’ and start two new jobs as an online English teacher and Domiciliary carer. I was lucky enough to find part time jobs that left a slot in the middle of the day for N B Entertainment, whether that be a 2pm Zoom show or 2:30pm through window sing-a-long. I took some of my entertaining skills into these new part time jobs especially whilst being a carer. I learnt so much about myself and about the struggles others go through, especially elderly or disabled people who felt so vulnerable and alone during this pandemic. I would sing and dance with many of the service users and try to make their days a little more entertaining. Seeing their smiles and hearing their reaction made me so desperate to get back to entertaining and leading exercise classes in person again.
As restrictions began to loosen with the roll out of vaccinations business started slowly picking up last year. It wasn’t until mid-September 2021 that I resumed solely working for N B Entertainment. From March 2020 it took 18 months for regular classes and bookings to come in again. There is still trepidation from many care homes and 65+years societies but with the introduction of Lateral Flow Testing it is beginning to get back on track. Excitingly I had the most amazing Christmas and New year period setting me up for and optimistic and very positive 2022.
My favourite memory from this years Christmas period was singing for Quinton Local History Society’s Christmas meeting. In September I excitedly began running a weekly exercise/line dance class for the society so I know many of them quite well. We had an absolute ball at the Christmas meeting, ending with a standing ovation for me. A few from the exercise class who don’t normally join the evening meetings came just to see the show, which was wonderfully humbling. A lovely lady from the exercise class had mentioned that my Isolation Motivation videos had really helped her and her husband throughout lock down. She said it kept them entertained and motivated and they would sing around and join in together in the kitchen. Even after her husband had suffered a fall whilst on a walk my videos helped build him back up again. This meant so much to me as that’s exactly what the videos were for. She bought her husband to the Christmas show (even though he’s not a member) and when the show finished he said to me ‘I just had to meet you. I didn’t think it possible, but you were even better in person than in your videos! Thank you.’ I was so moved, his words will stay with me forever. I LOVE MY JOB! I missed it so much throughout the pandemic I now can’t wait to carry on entertaining and helping to brighten people’s days throughout 2022.
