Grockles - Covid-19 Impact

There are no Grockles this year. No tourists to spend money in the shops. No cricket on the beach, or ice cream in Salcombe. 

The streets are empty. 

When I went for my first foray outside in almost three weeks, I couldn’t resist taking a look at how different things are. These are the before and after shots showing how much has changed in our seaside towns since last year.

Hopefully, the next time we see a land rover cutting through a country lane, it will be cause for celebration.

For a little while, at least.

But it’s worth sparing a thought for your local businesses. 

They’re creaking under the pressure of closure, without money and with the costs of staying closed ramping up. It’s the poor workers of these businesses that will be suffering the most. Many, already furloughed, face the prospect of losing their jobs completely if shops close.

Buy local. Support your local communities. Now, more than ever, they will need your help.

Devon is a beautiful area. I hope my landscape photography over the years has shown the timelessness of Devon shores. 

But part of the beauty of this area is in how it is perceived. It's summer holidays; dogs chasing stones; kites flying at North Sands. It's a beauty that defines lives - childhood memories of staring out a car window as rolling fields rush past. 

Right now, those memories aren't being formed. We're hunkered down. Waiting. 

When everything returns, remember that it isn't the luxury waterfront properties that make this area beautiful. It isn't the hotels. It isn't the developments that threaten to carve up the landscape.

It's our personal interaction with the nature that surrounds us. Salcombe - and Devon itself - shouldn't become a place for Private Residents only. It isn't the sole preserve of the second home owners, and nor should it be.

It's a place for people to live. To enjoy life. 

So, when this is over, let's make sure we enjoy our local area the way it deserves to be enjoyed.

Stay Safe x