Year in Review: A normal start to the year which took a dramatic turn by March

In January, when COVID-19 was just a distant news story, we covered a 2.7 per cent rail fare hike which was met with dismay from Stevenage rail user groups.

We also covered the heartwarming story of Gus Mangham, a young man with disabilities whose dream of going clubbing for his 21st birthday was realised when The Vault in Stevenage Old Town was opened just for him.

Gus Mangham with his dad Lee. (Image: Rouanne Mangham)

Gus' dad Lee said: "His face when we walked in just lit up - it was amazing."

Our Spotlight on Homelessness uncovered the plight of rough sleepers people in our areas with a special edition and a takeover of our website.

We spoke with charities and organisations in North Herts, as well as Stevenage Borough Council leader Sharon Taylor, to find out what is being done to help those without a roof over their heads.

In January the Comet ran a special edition on the plight of homeless people in our areas. (Image: Yui Mok/PA)

Meanwhile in Hitchin we covered the plans for a Pride event over the summer - a first for the town - which was later sadly cancelled due to coronavirus.

Following the announcement of the event, we spoke to Katie Wilson about her experiences as a transgender woman and to North Herts District Council leader Martin Stears-Handscomb, who spoke about growing up gay in the 1950s and 60s.

North Herts District Council leader Cllr Martin Stears-Handscomb, who spoke to the Comet about growing up gay in the 1950s and 60s. (Image: NHDC)

In February Storm Ciara hit, with resident Katy Parry describing an "extremely terrifying" near-miss as a tree blew onto her car, trapping her and her daughter underneath. Thankfully, while the car was written off, both mother and daughter were uninjured.

Katy Parry's car after a tree was blown onto it during Storm Ciara. (Image: Katy Parry)

Plans for Stevenage's Forster Country were given the go-ahead, with 800 new homes intended for the site, fuelling an ongoing campaign from residents wishing to stop the development.

In Letchworth, one family made a plea to save their guinea pig sanctuary after they were blamed for an issue with rats in the area and told they would have to rehome 200 guinea pigs.

Jane Evans, who owns Iggle Piggle Guinea Pig Sanctuary with her family. (Image: Jane Evans)

Iggle Piggle Guinea Pigs was eventually saved at the eleventh hour following a social media campaign, with 7,500 people signing a petition to protect the sanctuary.

In March, as the previously distant pandemic arrived in the UK, front page headlines took a dramatic turn from 'Fight is on to save guinea pig sanctuary' to 'We're all living in the shadow of coronavirus'.

The Comet's first coverage of COVID-19 began with Baldock couple Court Amys and Hannah Green, who became stranded at a hotel in Tenerife with their one-year-old son at the end of February after four of the guests were confirmed to have the virus.

Baldock couple Court Amys and Hannah Green, who were stranded in Tenerife due to COVID-19. (Image: Court Amys)

Peartree Spring Primary School in Stevenage then confirmed a positive case of coronavirus on March 2.

Eight days later, 19 pupils and two staff members from Fearnhill School in Letchworth had their ski trip to Northern Italy curtailed after only 48 hours when the country went into lockdown.

The Prato Nevoso resort in Northern Italy, where staff and pupils from Fearnhill School in Letchworth became stranded. (Image: Google Street View)

The school acted in good faith following public health advice at the time - but the situation was escalating so rapidly that the advice changed shortly after they left the UK.

From March 16 UK residents were advised to curb all unnecessary social contact, and on March 23 the country went into a nationwide lockdown.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announcing the national lockdown on March 23. (Image: PA)

At this point, the Comet launched our #ThereWithYou campaign to help support the community in this time of crisis, and to highlight all the ways in which people were banding together to help.

Letchworth company Ogle Models and Prototypes pledged their support to build ventilators for the NHS, parents and carers across Stevenage shared their creative efforts to home-school their children, and organisations from local councils to churches to Citizens Advice teamed up to protect the vulnerable and isolated.

Mum Toni got her kids dancing for a home-schooled PE class at the start of lockdown (Image: Toni Haslow)

Stevenage Borough Council launched its Stevenage Helps appeal, Letchworth organisations joined together to create a 'one-town' response to the crisis, and Stevenage Haven and Helping Herts Homeless in Hitchin assured the public they were doing all they can to help the homeless during the pandemic.

Stevenage Borough Council leader Sharon Taylor and Robert Stewart from Stevenage Community Trust, who teamed up to help during the early days of the pandemic. (Image: Stevenage Borough Council)

At the start of a challenging year, our communities rallied in response to the emerging crisis, rising to the challenge as lockdown continued.