I suppose 1605 was a tense year for Guy Fawkes, but perhaps all our experiences of 2020 have rivaled his nervousness and unease?

Yet, after a long period of school closures I am, at last, busy, busy, busy again. I have even begun taking bookings for next November. Hurray!

Having had the dreaded pestilence myself I am most likely, as some headteachers have put it, a ‘low risk’! Mind you, I am following all the Covid protocols, in every school, and changing just about everything I do on all my character days to reduce any possibility of transmission from anyone to anyone. I do get through a lot of soap, hand sanitiser gel and anti-bacterial wipes, but everyone working in schools is in the same situation!

Having seen how discombobulated many children have become as a consequence of the long lock-down, and the worry they have had concerning the news and the rules, I am so glad that schools have opened to give some normality to them, so they can learn again in so many ways. I am proud of all the staff I have worked with too – so brave and committed to the children.

The picture is of my last day as ‘Guido’ Fawkes this year, before I began a run of Great Fire of London and Highwayman days. It was also, like every year, the last day of my beard and ‘tache! I do grow attached to them (as they do to me) every year!

To see which of my historical characters you might want to visit, please take a look at my page of Characters. I look forward to hearing from you.