My Flight Free 2020 - in a year when flying wasn't really a thing!

2020, like for so many, was flight free for me. Many of you probably had to forgo your annual trip abroad due to the pandemic. However, for me, this was intentional – a pledge I made last year to not fly in 2020 so I could lower my carbon footprint and raise awareness of the aviation industry’s role in climate change.

As you are very aware, the year did not pan out as expected but back at the start of 2020 I started to mention my #flightfree2020 on social media. To be honest, I felt pretty unhappy about this self-imposed clipping of my wings but after calculating my carbon footprint in 2019 and finding out just one return flight to Northern Italy was a significant percentage of the carbon I was responsible for emitting I was determined to take on this challenge. Let me just mention that I do understand this comes from a place of privilege. Much of the world couldn’t make this decision as, in fact, most people never fly.

In January, I was listening to Radio Devon and they were talking about Flybe. At that time the government was thinking about rescuing this company and I felt strongly that as a climate emergency had been declared by the UK parliament in May 2019 this was not the right course of action. So, I sent a quick text to the radio and was then invited to speak live a few minutes later! Strangely, I agreed! I was shaking and scared but felt this was a great way to further my campaign of raising awareness. As soon as I’d finished speaking and was off air, I was asked if I would consider being filmed for BBC TV. I agreed and spent most of the day cleaning my house – where they were going to film and wondering what on earth I had agreed to this for! The Earth was, of course, the reason. So, I ended up being filmed about my flight free pledge for Spotlight and The Politics Show. Fame and fortune followed – no of course it didn’t! Life just went back to normal.

As you probably know, the government agreed a rescue plan for Flybe but the company announced it had ceased operation in March. I am sorry for the loss of jobs for local people and all the hardship and stress this has caused.

Around this time, as a family we were lucky enough to go away for a weekend to a lovely, converted farm building, now a holiday cottage, near Exeter and spend most of the time relaxing in the hot tub outside. Coronavirus was on it’s way and this restorative weekend helped a little in what we were about to face.

On the subject of holidays, as we’d pledged to be flight free this year we’d already booked a gorgeous apartment in Cornwall and, as you know, once August arrived we were all allowed to travel throughout the UK once again. I was so grateful for this holiday – I know many weren’t able to have one during 2020. My pledge for the planet was helping my family in unexpected ways.

Once again, we were able to get away in October, this time six miles away to Ladram Bay. Cancelled during lockdown 1 and falling before lockdown 2, the gratitude for having this opportunity was very strongly felt. This also happened at a difficult time when we were waiting for results to find out whether I had cancer. Since then, I’ve been diagnosed with breast cancer and I’m in the midst of treatment which, literally and figuratively, have kept my feet on the ground – landing with one hell of a bump, I can tell you!

So Flight Free 2020 was not how I had imagined. 2020 was not how any of us had imagined. I’ve done little to actually highlight the damaging effects of aviation – it’s been a matter of getting through the year for both me and you. However, I feel incredibly lucky to have spent it in Devon and Cornwall. I hope you might have found some joy in where you live too.

If you're inspired to have a flight free year take a look at the Flight Free UK website.

This blog post was first published in my fortnightly column in the Exmouth Journal.