Pandemic, Parties, Politics

Writing this at the end of 2021, it’s hard to escape a sense of déjà vu. Much like the year before, the last twelve months were again dominated by Covid-19 and efforts to bring it in to check. All of my work was in within the United Kingdom, and overwhelmingly in London. But despite those similarities (and acknowledging that at the time of writing the UK once again finds itself in the grip of another winter wave), many of the pictures that stand out to me this time are different. They’re not just of society shutting down, but also of it tentatively opening back up again: of nightclub dance floors alive once more, long-awaited hugs between friends, the return of live sport, serenades for strangers in the street.

It was also been a big year on the personal front. In August, the birth of our son Jae took me away from the news for a little while. But come September I was back to it, if a little sleep deprived.

Thanks to Getty Images and London News Pictures for the opportunities across the year, and also to Canon CPS for their unrivalled support. So here it is: with a few gaps, my favourite photographs from 2021.

Here’s to a happy, healthy, and productive 2022!

24/01/2021. London, United Kingdom. Snow blankets a wintry Greenwich Park in southeast London after snowfall over the capital.

23/03/2021. London, United Kingdom. Candles are lit opposite the London Eye, illuminated in yellow, as part of a National Day of Reflection to mark the first anniversary of the start of COVID-19 restrictions in the UK and to remember the 126,000 people who have died.

03/04/2021. London, United Kingdom. A man is arrested in Parliament Square during a ‘Kill the Bill’ protest, one of many demonstrations that took place in opposition to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill which seeks to broaden policing powers when dealing with protests.⁠⁠

08/04/2021. London, United Kingdom. A woman contemplates a section of the National Covid Memorial Wall, more than 150,000 hearts painted on the Thames Embankment opposite the Houses of Parliament to remember those who lost their lives to Covid-19.

09/04/2021. London, United Kingdom. A woman lays flowers outside Buckingham Palace following news of the death of Prince Philip. Buckingham Palace announced that the Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Elizabeth II’s husband, died aged 99.

16/04/2021. London, United Kingdom. Old Compton Street in Soho on the first Friday after lockdown restrictions were relaxed to allow pubs, bars, and restaurants to start serving food and drink outdoors.

20/04/2021. London, United Kingdom. Chelsea fans celebrate outside Stamford Bridge, the club’s stadium, after it was announced that Chelsea Football Club was pulling out of the new European Super League.

22/05/2021. London, United Kingdom. Drag artist Te Te Bang performs at a Eurovision Song Contest party at The Clapham Grand. The 65th Eurovision Song Contest was held in Rotterdam, and came a few days after Coronavirus restrictions were relaxed in England to allow indoor gatherings.

01/06/2021. London, United Kingdom. People in Greenwich Park take photographs as the sun sets behind the City of London on the first day of meteorological summer.

14/06/2021. London, United Kingdom. Prime Minister Boris Johnson greets Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison outside 10 Downing Street, ahead of finalising a new trade deal between the UK and Australia.

18/06/2021. London, United Kingdom. Scotland national football team fans, known as The Tartan Army, climb a statue of William Shakespeare in Leicester Square and adorn it with flags, ahead of Scotland’s Euro 2020 game against England.

07/07/2021. London, United Kingdom. England fans celebrate as Harry Kane scores the winning goal in the Euro 2020 semi-final between England and Denmark.

19/07/2021. London, United Kingdom. Two people hug in the middle of the dance floor at Egg London nightclub in the early hours of 19 July 2021. All remaining legal coronavirus restrictions were lifted at 12:01AM, allowing nightclubs to reopen again for the first time in fifteen months.

25/07/2021. London, United Kingdom. A group of friends sing and dance in the back of an illuminated cycle rickshaw in Soho on the first Saturday after most remaining coronavirus restrictions were lifted.

05/09/2021. London, United Kingdom. Kadeena Cox, who won Gold in the Women’s 500m Time Trial C4-5 and Mixed 750m Team Sprint C1-5 events at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, hugs her family upon arrival at Heathrow.

24/09/2021. London, United Kingdom. Mourners gather in Pegler Square, Kidbrooke, for a candlelight vigil for murdered school teacher Sabina Nessa.

03/10/2021. London, United Kingdom. Runners cross Tower Bridge during the London Marathon as a boat passes underneath.

07/12/2021. London, United Kingdom. Little Amal, the 3.5m animatronic puppet of a Syrian refugee child, greets MP Tulip Siddiq in Parliament Square as MPs begin debating the Nationality and Borders Bill.

10/12/2021. London, United Kingdom. The view towards Monument along a quiet King William Street in the City of London on the last Friday before new work from home guidance came into effect.

13/12/2021. London, United Kingdom. People join long queues outside St Thomas’s Hospital in Westminster to receive a Covid-19 booster vaccination. The government has announced that every adult will be offered a booster vaccination before the new year.

Thanks for looking!

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