Bridlington 'cautiously' welcomes lockdown lifting

There have been mixed feelings in Bridlington about legal restrictions ending

Tourists and seaside workers soaking up the sun in Bridlington have given a cautious welcome to the lifting of England's lockdown restrictions.

The East Yorkshire seaside resort, famed for its lobster and crab catches, as well as its sandy dunes, is expecting a bumper summer as holidaymakers return in large numbers.

For some, the new-found freedom couldn't come soon enough - but as the mercury rose others were taking a more cautious approach.

Andrea Leng: "We just need to get on with it"

On a busy South Bay beach, Andrea Leng, from Doncaster, is managing a travelling funfair. It opened near the Bridlington Spa theatre for the first time on Sunday and is operating for six weeks during the summer.

"This is brilliant being here and talking to the public - having a bit of banter and a laugh," she said.

"I think we desperately need everything to get back to normal because it's affecting people on a personal level as well as [on a financial level]."

She said the business had suffered during the pandemic with fairgrounds being cancelled but hoped for a speedy recovery with the ending of restrictions.

The 43-year-old, who was twice hit by Covid before being double vaccinated, said the pandemic had affected her mental health and she felt "like I've become a hermit".

"I'm now starting to get a slight phobia of being around a lot of people and I've never been like that. I've dealt with the public all my life - I was born on the fairground."

She said she was "worried" about the infection rate rising but believed it was "not going to go away and we're going to have to learn to deal with it", adding: "We just need to get on with it."

Jordan Franklin and Zoe Buttle are unsure whether "it's the right decision to open up now"

Walking along the seafront promenade are Zoe Buttle, 30, and her partner Jordan Franklin, also 30, who are on holiday with their two young children.

The family, from Leeds, spent the day in Bridlington during their short trip to the East Yorkshire coast.

Ms Buttle, a health worker, said they were "a bit anxious" about the lockdown restrictions lifting but "it's got to happen at some point". While Mr Franklin, a postman, said they were unsure whether "it's the right decision to open up now" .

"Not everyone's vaccinated. We're vaccinated. It's just the unknown I think. It's the anxiety of not knowing what's going to happen," said Ms Buttle.

"But we have to get on with life as normal at some point don't we?"

"We wouldn't want to see businesses closed but we wouldn't want to see everyone catching the virus at the same time."

Mr Franklin says he and his family will continue to holiday in the UK

The couple said they would continue to holiday in the UK but may consider going abroad "in a few years' time when everything's calmed down".

Raymond and Sarah Rollinson said they were "very very dubious" about restrictions lifting

Sarah Rollinson, from Northern Ireland, and her husband Raymond, run a guesthouse yards from South Bay beach. They live on the premises, which they have owned for 23 years, with their daughter who has a heart condition.

Mr Rollinson, originally from east London, has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma.

The couple said they were "very very dubious" about restrictions lifting and "would still like people to wear masks".

"I just don't think it's the time yet because everyday you see the figures going up and that's quite frightening," said Mrs Rollinson.

"Nobody really knows what's going to happen do they?"

The Rollinsons say they will leave their face mask sign in the window in the hope customers will use them in the guesthouse

Mr Rollinson and their daughter have been shielding since the start of the pandemic with the family business shutting until June this year. When the 15-bed guesthouse reopened, they decided to take minimal bookings by letting three or four rooms, Mrs Rollinson says.

"My husband has a phobia about going out. He hasn't gone out all of the pandemic except to go for his jabs or hospital appointment and he was terrified."

"We have to be careful," said Mr Rollinson.

"We don't feel easy about people coming in. It's our home as well."

Malcolm Malton, owner of a cafe, hopes current restrictions on overseas travel will be a boost for local tourism

Behind the amusement park on North Promenade is a coffee shop owned by 54-year-old Malcolm Malton.

He was forced to shut his new business in March 2020, just three months after opening. After an "horrendous" 18 months, the businessman says he is looking forward to an influx of tourism as a result of the current restrictions on travelling abroad.

"In my eyes, we're safe," said Mr Malton.

"We're all double-jabbed here [in the cafe].

"Tourism this year will grow. A lot more people will come to this town. It's looking a lot better because you can't go abroad... but there's still a lot of work to do."

Mr Malon said his cafe would continue to adopt some of the pandemic safety measures such as hand-sanitising stations and the optional wearing of masks by staff.

"I know we're going to do very well over the next six to eight weeks. The school's break up on Friday and we know that all the campsites, all the hotels - I speak to all the hoteliers - they're busy. We know that we're going to be busy."

Full-time carer Jim Wiley, from Hull, said the lockdown had not made "much of a difference" to him

Full-time carer Jim Wiley, from Hull, travelled from his home city for a swim in the sea and said he was not phased by the lockdown or the restrictions lifting.

The 43-year-old said: "I look after my mum, who has Alzheimer's, so I've been on [self-imposed] lockdown for four years. So for me it wasn't that much different.

"I really enjoyed it to be honest. It was really nice and quiet."

He said he had adhered to using a face mask when he travelled to the resort by train "for the first time since the lockdown".

James Storrie hopes "staycations" will turn around the resort's hospitality industry

As the sun shone, the Bridlington Spa theatre celebrated the lifting of restrictions with the New York Brass Band playing to a crowd in front of the venue.

James Storrie, 30, a marketing officer at the theatre, said he was hopeful the town would get busier, which in turn would be positive for the resort's hospitality industry.

"We're in for a really busy summer in Bridlington. It's difficult to go abroad at the moment so I think staycations will be massive this year.

"Speaking to different guesthouses and hoteliers, it's going to be quite hard to get a room here. I think it's booked up for the summer."