A cabaret singer who has performed for years in clubs across Manchester says he 'jumped for joy' when health secretary Sajid Javid announced there would be no further Covid restrictions before the new year.
Singer Liam Halewood had been waiting nervously for news on whether he'd be able to perform this New Year's Eve after sitting at home last year.
And after New Year’s Eve events were given the go-ahead in England, without the stricter Covid rules seen in the other three UK nations, Liam has explained why the decision is so important for him and others in the entertainment industry.
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Liam, 35, has been singing since he was 18 and has performed on Canal Street and in social clubs across Manchester.
After his gigs dried up during the coronavirus crisis he trained as a carer working with the elderly.
Because singing is his first love Liam, who appeared on The X Factor in 2015, was thrilled to return to the stage as restrictions were lifted.
On Christmas Day he was gigging in hotels from 11am.
And he says his New Year's Eve show at Blackpool's Winter Gardens as one half of the duo Double Decades with Victoria Roberts from Bury, will be the most important of his life.
Liam, who formed Double Decades with pal Victoria a year and a half ago, explained: "January in entertainment is very quiet.
"People are skint and they don't have the money to buy concert tickets.
"It's a subdued time of year, that's the way showbiz is. For cabaret singers New Year's Eve and New Year's Day are very important.
"It can pay your bills for the whole month.
"I jumped for joy when I found out that New Year's Eve could go ahead and have one of the biggest gigs of my time as a singer.
"This is my livelihood and if the government say I don't have to cancel it I'm not going to miss out.
"We've got to pay our bills."
Liam, who is triple jabbed, added: "We are still unsure of what will happen on January 2.
"If the government had provided more help maybe we would have looked at it differently.
"But people have to earn money and if a 70-year-old grandma wants to enjoy themselves on New Year's Eve, it's an individual choice.
"If the PM can have wine and cheese why can't people go out on New Year's Eve?
"The hospitality industry is so happy in England."
