Ripping the heart out of my city
By: Warwick Andrews
Tags: Heart And Soul, Recovery, Rebuilding

I had one of those intense feelings of helplessness last night. An emotion of belonging and pride in where I live yet an emptiness and feeling of utter despair.

Millennium Square © Warwick Andrews 2020

It was ‘Mad Friday’. The last Friday before Christmas. Normally the streets of Leeds would be teeming with people; last minute shoppers and many, many people, celebrating the pending festivities. Last night, I witnessed a city that has lost its soul!

As I walked passed building after building, boarded up. Closed. Lights off. No one inside. I couldn’t find the heart to stop and take a picture. So many businesses have shut down. Dusty. Restaurants and bars locked up. No life. Hotels with the odd light on. No one in the lobby. No laughter and ‘noise’ as crowds of people meander through the streets of the city centre. The vibe of the city has been lost.

There were stores with more staff than customers. Large stores, ‘big’ department stores really struggling. There was little Christmas cheer last night yet you could sense the staff were pleased to be able to engage with their customers - masks on! If nothing else, my own shopping excursion was heart-warming as I could have a relaxed and informal conversation with the staff … thank you.

I’m devastated as to how Covid-19 has impacted my city. I’ve lived here over 20+ years. I’ve seen the poor times, the city centre boom and then the crash. I’ve seen Leeds blossom and boom again. In less than a year, it has ‘shut down’.

The pandemic has taken the heart and soul away from my town.

I feel a sense of responsibility to help ‘rebuild’ the city … but what can I do? The emotion in me last night was almost over-powering; I’m not ashamed to admit it. As I see big businesses floundering in the wake of the pandemic, I rack my brain to think how can Leeds bounce back.

Leeds City Region is a £70 billion regional economy, making it the largest contributor to UK GDP in the Northern Powerhouse and the largest regional economy outside London. (Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership)

How do we rebuild a city after these ‘unprecedented’ times? There’s a proposed recovery plan yet I can only think this last nine months will push cities like Leeds backwards, numerous years. Where millions of pounds have been spent on commercial space, those spaces are empty and if rumours are true, they won’t fill up for some time.

Parkinson Building © Warwick Andrews 2020

I console my conscience with the belief that the city will come back to life. There are businesses coming to Leeds to bring new opportunities and it has one of the largest student populations in the UK.

As a small business owner, I’ve been able to adapt, do things differently and had time to plan for the next year. But walking through the city centre, so many places have had their trade taken away. They’ve had limited opportunity to adapt, even if they tried. It’s feasible, many places will not open again. All those people lost. All those skills lost to the city. Let’s hope it is only for the short-term.

Decimated doesn’t seem to describe the impact of the pandemic enough. Yet last night, that is how I felt. I walked from the ‘top of town’ into the centre and passed a handful of people. Seriously, I could count how many on one hand.

Trinity © Warwick Andrews 2020

A little over 12 months ago I’d set out a course of action to work locally, regionally, at least ‘up North’! As my co-director and I mapped out a plan, we didn’t consider a pandemic year. We can be agile. We can do things differently. Last night hit me like a sledgehammer. Even after a night’s sleep, (a poor one at that!), I sit with a heavy heart penning this blog. My city needs rebuilding. It’s people need a place to go. I believe we will, I just don’t know where I will fit and how I can help.

As I’ve said before … “it’ll be reyt”.