AS we head into a new year, I don’t think any of us will be sad to see the back of 2020.

But there is light at the end of this dark tunnel.

Whether it’s been fears for our health, the wellbeing of family and friends, economic hardship or job insecurity – this has been a year like no other. So many have lost loved ones to the pandemic and been separated from the people they hold most dear.

Before putting pen to paper on this new year’s message, I had a look back at what I’d written 12 months ago. So much has changed, but so much remains the same.

Back then I talked about how we were leaving behind a troubled decade, a bleak era marked by austerity and hardship, a nation and a world still reeling from the legacy of the banking crisis.

But amidst that hardship I talked about how we’d found hope in each other, of how communities had come together – whether it was through volunteers giving up their free time to help at foodbanks, or young people demanding a fairer, greener and more equal society.

If anything, this troubled year has only strengthened those bonds of community and nurtured that desire for change.

I’ve been genuinely humbled watching how so many in our community have rallied around during this time of crisis to help one another. Humbled, but not surprised. When times are hard we dig deep, we look out for each other and we come together.

We’ve seen the relentless hard work and dedication of our valued key workers, and been inspired by heroes such as Captain Tom, people who are the very best of us.

But it’s not just in community we find solace, but in science as well. We now have vaccines providing hope for an end to this pandemic.

I’ve already spoken to people who’ve had their vaccination in Weaver Vale, and I’m hopeful now that 2021 will deliver us a much more positive health outlook. But then thoughts turn to what comes after.

The aftermath of Covid will depend on how we approach it. Many have compared this pandemic to the Second World War, and just like after that period of turmoil we embraced forward-thinking social programmes, created our NHS and modernised our country – so now must we be similarly bold.

It’s essential we don’t allow ourselves to be plunged into more austerity, a political choice which wrought so much economic and social catastrophe on our nation.

Instead in 2021, we must harness our newfound sense of camaraderie and community and look to rebuild our country into a nation governed by fairness and economic opportunity for everyone.