By Olivia Messum
This Valentine’s Day, couples in Leicester had to get creative to think of ways to spruce up their romance thanks to the national Covid-19 lockdown.
With restaurants, cinemas, and other typical date places closed, people in the city had to start thinking outside the box.
According to DMU medical science student Holly Swift, the lockdown actually brought her and her partner Paolo Padalino closer together. She said: “We made our own pizzas, then just had a movie night.
“I think it was better than last year because we’d never normally do something like that together, we would have just gone out for a meal, so actually doing it together was nice.
“I enjoyed it and I would much rather do something like that every year.”
However, Emily Richmond, studying psychology at DMU, said: “I wasn’t as excited for this Valentine’s Day compared to previous years since I usually would have gone to a cocktail bar or a nice restaurant instead of just staying at home.”
For Valentine’s Day this year, Emily and her partner Lewis Aitken woke up, got dressed, ordered food and had a relaxing movie night.
She said: “In the morning, he decorated my room with rose petals and balloons, and we ate homemade pancakes, which was all really romantic.”
But this was the highlight of the day for Emily, who still preferred the experience of going out and doing romantic activities instead.
She said: “We weren’t sure what to do with ourselves during the day, so we just got on with our day like normal.
“It doesn’t feel the same as just ordering food since you don’t really get the same atmosphere or excitement as a place full of music and other people.
“I still enjoyed my day, but it still doesn’t compare to a usual Valentine’s Day.”
Even though this Valentine’s Day has been significantly different to previous years, Leicester couples still found a way to make the most of this romance-filled day.
