The hospitality industry has been the hardest hit sector for redundancies this year as the coronavirus pandemic has swept the 海角视频 - with thousands left out of work after businesses closed or cut back on staff numbers.
The Office for National Statistics says there have been 171,000 job cuts in the sector in the 海角视频 since the start of the year.
It is a crucial part of the North Wales economy - particularly north west Wales - so the impact has been keenly felt in the region.
These stark figures are hardly surprising given the sector has faced long lockdown closures and even when able to trade has had to implement stringent measures to control the spread of the virus.
There has been financial backing with the 海角视频 Government furlough scheme, as well as rates relief and grants and the Welsh Government’s Economic Resilience Fund but many have missed out on some or all of these support mechanisms.
For those able to access help it has rarely come close to what has been lost.
They now face another potentially long lockdown - which started in Wales on December 20 - as the virus spikes again.
“We live in dark days at the moment- a very dangerous time for the spread of Covid,” said 海角视频Hospitality Cymru Executive Director David Chapman.
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“Our beleaguered businesses are once again forced to close for a precarious third lockdown period.”
Despite the challenges, so many in the sector have responded magnificently to the hurdles put in their way.
Rich Watkin, co-director of the Fat Boar pub group, which has sites in Wrexham and Mold, said: “It has been a huge blow to our industry. With the level of infection ever changing so has how we have operated as a business, things change rapidly, without warning, and we have to react.
“The virus doesn’t give you a warning it’s coming, so we have no time to prepare. That has been the most difficult element to deal with. Getting an hours notice of closure in December was particularly challenging.
“However the furlough scheme and Welsh Government economic resilience scheme has meant we haven’t had to lay anyone off and it’s allowed us to be flexible in our approach to employing and retaining people.
“We’ve been able to keep every member of staff employed throughout, which was a pledge we made to the team back in March 2020.
“Covid has forced us to change our way of thinking, we would not have gone down a takeaway route if this had not happened as it was not something we would have ever considered.
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“However it’s now something that we will keep even when life returns to normal.”
Jimmy Williams, who runs Signatures restaurant in Conwy with wife Louise, said they had done everything possible and more to comply with ever changing restrictions.
He said: “It does grind you down - the last announcement was a complete shock, we had customers in here who had no idea what was going on.
"We then had to phone around to cancel all our Christmas bookings. Up to that point, even with the alcohol ban and 6pm closing we were fully booked, when we have been open people have come.
“We don’t want to close and take money, we want to stay open, it is why we do what we do.”
The challenging circumstances has also seen them adapt - launching the Signatures at Home takeaway service.
As well as keeping them busy and customers fed it has ensured they could retain staff members that were not eligible for furlough.
Jimmy added: “We spent thousands of pounds on this because with the Signatures name on it this has to be quality and that all costs money.
“The lucky thing with us is that we are well established, we have 13 years behind us.
“I feel for some businesses that like us have done all asked of them but for different reasons won’t get support, there are businesses that will go bust through no fault of their own. I do feel hospitality has been unfairly targeted.”
Patrick Barry, landlord of Patrick’s Bar in Bangor, said: “Everyone has struggled in hospitality.
“As much as we work on playing by the book the scientists say you can catch Covid in pubs or hotels when I think there is more chance of catching it in supermarkets.
“We have done everything by the book and it breaks my heart.”
While the story this year has mainly been about places staying afloat and desperately trying to retain staff one pub group has actually opened a site.
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Lancashire based Imagine Inns bought the Tal-y-Cafn in the Conwy, opening in November, a year after it had closed.
Mike Hales, boss of Imagine Inns, said they have created 27 new jobs - taking on people in the sector who had been left unemployed.
They have been “overwhelmed” by the reaction and when open have been fully booked.
While they remain closed under the lockdown regulations they have continued to run a takeaway service on special days and now plan to increase staff numbers for when they reopen.
This points to better times ahead but only for those who can get through the next few months.
David Chapman said substantial investment now from 海角视频 and Welsh governments would yield major returns for the economy when conditions improve.