With the current pandemic ensuring lockdown continues for weeks or even months, communities have had to come together to ensure its people are safe and that key workers are hailed and helped in any way possible. One such community is that of the city of Brighton which has well and truly displayed that community of spirit.

NHS workers prioritised

Brighton has been doing wonders for their National Health Service workers with Buzz Bingo offering such workers free parking. And, although the bingo hall is, of course, no longer accessible at present, locals and those throughout the country can still enjoy their favourite game or hobby online, with sites like Booty Bingo providing the entertainment.

NHS workers up and down the country are not just fighting for their patients’ lives, but also their own with the stuttering in government decision-making having an adverse effect on the levels of protective equipment available to staff.

That has led to a number of initiatives throughout the nation, including soon-to-be centurion Captain Tom Moore’s 100 lengths of his garden that has so far raised over £27 million for the NHS. Whilst grand gestures such as this are more than welcome, it is the little things such as free parking that workers are aiming for and which the city of Brighton has been intent on giving.

Keeping people off beaches

Whilst NHS workers are being rightly lauded for their unwavering commitment to the cause, it would help if people heeded the warnings given by councils and police to actually stay away from beaches and parks etc. The Brighton and Hove City Council has been working tirelessly with Sussex police to ensure social distancing is honoured.

Those calls were finally taken into consideration at the weekend as the Brighton seafront appeared markedly emptier as people followed stringent guidelines. Such guidelines outline that only essential trips such as food shopping and picking up medication can be made with one hour of daily exercise – whether that be a walk, run or cycle.

Unique events

Brighton has also come in for praise with a number of initiatives designed to pass the time and strengthen the bond in the community. One such initiative is Brighton is Blind; a parody of Netflix-hit series Love is Blind, the Brighton version will see a number of dating hopefuls enter into blind dates with one another until a winning couple is decided.

They will do all the usual Love is Blind stages such as ranking their dates as the hopefuls spend time getting to know personalities through the vice of social media. Then, once lockdown has ended, the winning couple will be sent on a post-pandemic date.