Message to the Town’s Residents from the Mayor of Hailsham

With the continued rise in Covid-19 infections over the past few weeks, the Mayor of Hailsham Councillor Paul Holbrook, has addressed the town’s residents, urging caution and for people to get vaccinated and take a sense of personal responsibility when it comes protecting themselves and other people around them:

“NHS England and local authorities are monitoring the new, heavily mutated Covid-19 variant, Omicron. While not much is known about the strain at the time of writing, medical experts are in agreement that by far the best things you can do to protect yourself and others from transmitting the virus is to get vaccinated if you haven’t done so already, get the booster jab as soon as possible if eligible and continue to wear face masks in indoor public spaces and on public transport.

The Omicron variant, understood to be more transmissible than previous variants, has already led to an impact on the hospitality sector in terms of bookings, and I would encourage people not to cancel any Christmas events or gatherings they have planned. Unless we hear otherwise from the Government and medical professionals, there is no need to do so if you continue to take the right precautions, such as mask-wearing and regular sanitising of hands.

The confirmation of an increase in Omicron cases nationally reinforces the public health messages the Town Council and I have been promoting in recent months to our residents and the local community, including how important it is to get vaccinated, make an appointment to get your booster jab as early as possible and continue to wear face coverings to protect each other and stay safe.

Despite the rise in new Covid-19 variant cases, there are many positives which have come about in 2021 including the reopening of businesses with a new and more optimistic outlook for us – and a recovery that continues to put us back on track both socially and economically, this itself a major step forward in the return to ‘normality’ in our lives.

But, as we continue to move forward, we still have some way to go in terms of combating the spread of the virus for good. Now that most adults in Hailsham have been double-vaccinated, it would be all too easy to become complacent and place less importance on practising COVID-protection guidelines.

On two final and positive notes, I’d like to thank everyone who attended the town’s Christmas Lights Switch-on in Vicarage Field on 26^th November. After missing out on the big event last year due to restrictions in place at the time, Hailsham enjoyed a spectacular show featuring festive entertainment in addition to the big switch-on, which saw the town centre transformed into a winter wonderland of twinkling Christmas lights.

The switch-on event is about bringing the community together to celebrate the countdown to Christmas with their friends and family, and I’m delighted that lots of people came along and joined in the fun!

Secondly, I’d like to welcome you all to our three new Town Council members, Jenny Cook, Kevin Lawrence and Joanna Crittenden, who were elected last Thursday to represent Hailsham South, North West and Central Wards respectively. They were all good candidates and I’m confident that they will serve residents well, get involved in the local community, deal with any local issues and concerns effectively and help to promote close links between the Town Council and residents.

Councillors Cook, Lawrence and Crittenden will hold office until the normal election of all town councillors which will take place in May 2023.

Last, but not least, I look forward to promoting my Christmas Message to residents later this month. Please watch this space.

Thank you and stay safe everyone.”