After a limited reopening last month, many of Andover’s finest drinking establishments have reopened now that indoor hospitality is open to the public once more. Pubs were forced to close, along with other venues, following the various lockdowns across the past year, with a reopening over the summer months between the first two. Since then, they have been opened and closed various times, with many resorting to takeaways in order to supplement their income. As of May 17, pubs and bars have reopened to customers, who no longer have to brave the weather if they want a drink. For many pubs in town, this is their first opening this year as they haven’t had the space to accommodate outside drinkers.
Under lockdown, it can be very hard to get out and do the exercise we’re all meant to do. Spending our days at work in our homes, it doesn’t quite feel the same when we finish work, relocate to another part of the house or room, and try to relax for the evening. Even the daily walks have, by this point, started to become a little repetitive as we near a year since the first lockdown. As a journalist, I do spend some time out of the house as part of my job. But it’s not really exercise. While I’ve tried to keep up my fitness during lockdown, these dark, cold evenings are not the most conducive to getting out and doing a bit of exercise. So when I was contacted by Anne Evans, landlady of the Foresters Arms, about their fundraising through fitness, I leapt at the chance to give it a go.