Don't panic – we will get past this

Cricket enthusiasts will have mourned the death of Sir Donald Bradman, who died last week at the age of 92. He was one of the greatest players ever to have graced the game, amassing, in his time, more runs and more Test centuries, and putting more fear and trepidation into bowling attacks, than any batsman before or since.

When he toured England with the Australians in 1930, he accumulated runs with such precision that he achieved a mythological status, and this, in turn, did as much to crush the opposition as his batting itself.

Part of the Bradman phenomenon was the timing of his exploits. His arrival in England came a few months after the Wall Street Crash and the onset of a severe economic depression. While millions of British workers were lining up in dole queues, Bradman was scoring 334 in a Test match at Leeds, and the headlines were seized on as a welcome distraction from the deepening gloom that gripped the pre-war Western world.

That's not to diminish the great cricketer's accomplishments, but Bradman's bright light shone stronger because of an impending darkness. That often happens.

The reverse is also true.

Undue panic

When the going is good, the economy strong and business booming, a slight blip can cause undue panic. Take the petrol crisis last autumn. One day, everything was fine; the next day, people were marooned at home, and restaurants and hotels with no customers were predicting the end of civilisation.

It seemed devastating at the time, but the petrol crisis lasted only nine days, and most restaurants, hotels and pubs survived. It turned out to be just a blip, no more, in the detailed graph of the year, and all thoughts of a nationwide catastrophe faded once the pumps were refuelled.

Petrol crisis last year, foot-and-mouth disease this year. Yes, another cataclysm is threatening to bring the country and the hospitality industry to their knees. Or is it?

There's no doubt that it is a serious problem, and the measures that have been imposed to restrict the spread of the disease are beginning to disrupt hospitality in some areas (see page 4). Businesses, particularly in rural areas and close to abandoned sporting events such as the Cheltenham racing festival, are going to lose trade. Food supplies will be affected, and country house hotels that offer outdoor activities may suffer.

Knee-jerk response

For the most part, however, after an initial knee-jerk response, restaurants, hotels and pubs will find that their customers are prepared to carry on as normal. Chances are that, as far as the majority of hospitality operators are concerned, foot-and-mouth will not have a lasting affect.

Don't panic, and don't over-react - that's the warning. The situation may be worrying, but the fear of lost trade appears worse because we have enjoyed a thriving economy of late.

The Government, quite right to restrict the movement of livestock while the situation is assessed, is already beginning to relax its emergency controls. Sporting events are likely to be rescheduled and, while large areas of the countryside may remain off-limits, it won't be long before traffic movement in rural districts picks up again. It's a case of "hang in there".

England lost to the Australians in 1930, but won back the Ashes in the next series.

Forbes Mutch, Editor, Caterer & Hotelkeeper