Jumat, 01 Januari 2021

New Year's Eve: UK sees in 2021 with fireworks and light show - BBC News

The UK has seen off 2020 and celebrated the dawn of 2021 with a fireworks and light display over London that included tributes to NHS staff.

Revellers were not able to ring in the New Year in the usual way because of the coronavirus pandemic, with people instead told to stay at home.

But the 10-minute show over the Thames was aired on the BBC at midnight.

Edinburgh's traditional Hogmanay street party was cancelled, with videos of a drone display released instead.

The series of videos showed a swarm of 150 lit-up drones over the Scottish Highlands and Edinburgh were released, which organisers said it was the largest drone show ever produced in the UK.

Despite the cancellation of Edinburgh's traditional Hogmanay celebration - which normally attracts 100,000 people on the city's streets - there were some people who ignored the pleas to stay at home.

Crowds of several hundred people gathered at Edinburgh Castle to see in the new year. They sang Auld Lang Syne and danced before eventually dispersing when several police vans and cars pulled on to the castle esplanade.

Fireworks and drones illuminate the night sky over the The O2 in London as they form a light display as London"s normal New Year"s Eve fireworks display was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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Police officers patrol during an anti-lockdown protest and a New Year"s celebration, amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London, Britain January 1, 2021
Reuters
People walk along Hungerford Bridge during an anti-lockdown demonstration and a New Year"s celebration, amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in London, Britain January 1
Reuters

Much of the UK saw in the new year while under lockdown rules, with about 44 million people in England - or 78% of the population - in tier four, the top level of restrictions.

Mainland Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales are also under lockdown.

On New Year's Eve, Health Secretary Matt Hancock called on people to take "personal responsibility" and stay at home to avoid spreading Covid-19.

London's televised display began with a poem which addressed the pandemic, saying: "In the year of 2020 a new virus came our way; We knew what must be done and so to help we hid away."

Light projections lit up the sky over the O2 Arena, including the NHS logo in a heart accompanied by a child's voice saying: "Thank you NHS heroes".

Fireworks and drones illuminate the night sky over the The O2 in London as they form a light display as London"s normal New Year"s Eve fireworks display was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Reuters
Fireworks and drones illuminate the night sky over the The O2 in London as they form a light display as London"s normal New Year"s Eve fireworks display was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
PA Media

Captain Sir Tom Moore, who raised £33m for the NHS by walking laps of his garden, was also featured in the display, with an image of him shone over the arena.

There was also a nod to one of the 2020 phenomena - working from home - with a mute logo backed by a voiceover saying "You're on mute".

The display also featured a recognition of the Black Lives Matter movement, as well as a call from Sir David Attenborough about the need for action on climate change.

In a speech being broadcast on BBC One between Doctor Who and EastEnders this evening, Sir David will say that this "could be a year for positive change - for ourselves, for our planet and for the wonderful creatures with which we share it".

Despite the "challenging" times we live in, "the reactions to these extraordinary times has proved that when we work together there is no limit to what we can accomplish", he will say, as he looks ahead to the United Nations Climate Change Conference later this year.

Fireworks and drones illuminate the night sky over London as they form a light display as London"s normal New Year"s Eve fireworks display was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
PA Media
The statue of Eros in Piccadilly Circus in London, as London"s New Year"s Eve fireworks display has been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
PA Media
Edinburgh's streets were largely empty, with Police Scotland warning against Hogmanay gatherings
Reuters

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said he was proud of the show, which he said "paid tribute to our NHS heroes and the way that Londoners continue to stand together".

"We showed how our capital and the UK have made huge sacrifices to support one another through these difficult times, and how they will continue to do so as the vaccine is rolled out."

Usually, around 100,000 people pack into the streets around Victoria Embankment to watch the New Year's Eve fireworks.

But this year, people were warned not to attend any parties outside their own homes, there were many people around the country who ignored the rules.

Essex Police, which was the first force to release details, said they issued more than £18,000 in organiser fines and fixed penalty notices overnight to "reckless individuals".

The force said: "It's after hundreds of people chose to attend unlicensed events in our county to flout coronavirus restrictions, endanger themselves and others, and put extra strain on our NHS on New Year's Eve."

There were three key events they broke up, including a house party in Sewardstonebury attended by about 100 people. The organiser was fined £10,000.

Government statistics show 73,512 people have died of coronavirus, up 964 in the previous 24 hours, while the total number of confirmed cases is now 2,488,780, up 55,892, and the number of patients in hospital is 23,813, up 1,275
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In his New Year's message, the Archbishop of Canterbury will say he saw "reasons to be hopeful for the year ahead" despite the "tremendous pain and sadness" brought by 2020.

The Most Reverend Justin Welby speaks of his experience volunteering as an assistant chaplain at St Thomas' hospital during the pandemic, saying: "Sometimes the most important thing we do is just sit with people, letting them know they are not alone."

In his message, filmed at the London hospital and to be broadcast on BBC One at 12:35 GMT, he says: "This crisis has shown us how fragile we are. It has also shown us how to face this fragility.

"Here at the hospital, hope is there in every hand that's held, and every comforting word that's spoken.

"Up and down the country, it's there in every phone call. Every food parcel or thoughtful card. Every time we wear our masks."

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Did you make a special effort to celebrate this New Year? How did you mark it? Share your experiences and pictures of what you got up to by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk

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2021-01-01 10:38:00Z
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