On 2 July we sent six writers and photographers to capture a typical British summer’s day. Tabitha Lasley went to Liverpool John Lennon Airport
“We are being really, really positive. Everything is going to go perfectly smoothly.” Nicola’s tone suggests this is unlikely. An insurance broker from Morecambe, she is flying to Cyprus with her husband, Pat, and two teenage daughters, Elena and Eloise. Their lockdowns were stressful (Pat manufactures PPE and spent most of the time working) and this will be their first time away as a family since the pandemic struck. Her hopes of a relaxing break were hanging in the balance this week. Though they applied for new passports in April, her daughter only got hers a few days ago.
“The service was absolutely horrendous,” she says. “The government told everyone to renew their passports so, in May, they had a million applications. They hadn’t tooled up the passport office to cope with it. You were being stuck on hold for two-and-a-half, three hours. It’s taken the shine off it. I haven’t been able to get excited.” She grins suddenly and gestures to her suitcase. “I’ll be all right when I get rid of this. When I’m sat in there, with my beer, I’ll be A-OK.”
Top: Liverpool, unlike larger airports, is free from queues and delays. Above: Seth, Lewin and Jack en route to Bulgaria
