One year of Covid: Light shines through after a difficult year for churches

As the curate of St Peter’s Church, in Wolverhampton, Reverend David Wright has seen the church close to public worship, reopen briefly, then close again since the start of the first national lockdown.

Churches were ordered to close to public worship at the start of the first lockdown, with ministers of religion then told by the Church of England to refrain from attending places of worship.

He said: “It is hard to believe it’s been a year since the first lockdown was announced and if you had asked me in March last year if we’d still be here a year later, I would have said no.

"Looking back at the way it’s all gone, perhaps we should have foreseen the possibility of a second and third wave, so it’s been difficult to believe it was a year, but not a surprise.”

Rev Wright also said he had had his own battles with Covid, with his wife Alice and him both testing positive for the virus and being ill for a short period.

He spoke about how the year had affected him. He said: “I’ve been lucky in a way that I’ve been in a bubble with my wife and my youngest son, Nick, but we’ve been restricted from seeing other family members.

"We’ve also had a couple of family bereavements and had to deal with the restrictions around hospital visits and funerals, which I see from a professional standpoint, but it’s very different when you are involved.

“From a faith perspective, it’s been hard as what makes us a community has been beyond our reach for much of the year, but we do see the light at the end of the tunnel with the vaccinations and roadmap.”

Rev Wright said the church would soon be reopening to public service for the first time in nearly three months.

He said: “As I’ve said, there is that light at the end of the tunnel and one of the ways towards that is taking the vaccination. I’ve had it and I would urge everyone to get theirs when it is offered.”