By William Coleman
In September the team at Mother Iyv’s Bay in Padstow vowed to give key workers free holidays as a thank you for all their hard work during the pandemic. Due to ongoing lockdown measures, these holidays are now having to be cancelled.
Patrick Langmaid, the owner of the site, has had to cancel over 130 free holidays and is extremely unhappy about having to do this at a time when NHS staff and key workers need all the help they can get.
“I am so desperately disappointed that we are having to cancel the free holidays that we had planned and were so looking forward to providing,” said Patrick.
“We had hoped to be welcoming staff from the NHS, police, fire service, local foodbanks and care workers for their richly deserved breaks.
“Now, instead of preparing for their arrival, we are contacting them to let them know they can no longer come with their families and spend time with us,” he said.
This month the Mother Ivy’s Bay was set to accommodate 137 key workers from all over the UK, as well as further stays at Martha’s Orchard in Constantine Bay, the Mother Ivy sister site.
Speaking to Stay UK News, Patrick said: “I am hoping that this lockdown ends on 2nd December so that we can still welcome the fantastic key workers who are booked to stay at Martha’s Orchard.
“I have great respect and admiration for those who have kept Britain going during these challenging times, and it’s so sad that they are not going to be able to have the benefit of these holidays.
“Key workers need respite too, and their personal wellbeing seems to have been forgotten during the recent announcements.”
Not being deterred by the new restrictions, Patrick has urged the government to allow key workers to take these much-needed trips while we go through yet another national lockdown.
Key workers have had a tough time since this all started at the beginning of 2020 and the mental and physical strain it has put upon them must be monumental. Due to these hard times Patrick feels that the UK’s key workers deserve a break after six months of hard work.
“Everyone needs a break, and especially those who have been tirelessly working on the frontline for the past six months,” says Patrick.
