Beggars belief

I know how important this advice is and I do not want my mistake to distract from that.

Oh for goodness sake, if she knows how important the advice is, it wasn't a "mistake" to flout it, it was a deliberate, considered choice. Either she believes the advice or she doesn't. And despite what she says we can all now feel entitled to make our own "mistake"

The landlady of the Blue Bell Inn in Nottingham defied the rules and had a "lock in" with customers to celebrate her husband's birthday. She also apologised and expressed regret for making a stupid decision. She'll likely lose her license and livelihood. Decisions have consequences. Especially stupid ones.

What sort of an 'excuse' is that ? Dr Calderwood has a public role and therefore a responsibility to be be seen to sticking to the letter of the law. As janipat said this was a deliberate and considered choice. Maybe she should make another considered choice and donate some of her not inconsiderable salary to her local NHS staff.

Calderwood’s public health announcements will have to be pulled as they are now a joke. She can be replaced by someone with a bit of credibility.
I was cross enough about PC and his unnecessary travel but this is just ridiculous. There is no acceptable excuse for her behaviour. Clearly she doesn’t believe her own message.

I've only just seen this.I think it's pretty disgusting tbh.Most of us are sticking to the advice.I am only walking my dogs for home despite several of my favourite walks being a short drive away,even though I would love to go to them.With this beautiful weather proving a huge temptation for frustrated families what a dreadful message to give out.Try telling a family with no garden and no lovely walks on their doorsteps to stay at home and then bob off to your second home on some spurious excuse.!No excuse.

What about her mental health, perhaps she just needed to get away from it all

I've heard it all now!

After a couple of weeks of semi-lockdown, because that's what it is in the UK compared to many other countries, the idea that someone's mental health is as risk unless she visits her SECOND HOME is a joke.

She has singlehandedly ndermined the whole Stay at hHome message.

Unless that is seen to have far reaching consequences then the whole show will collapse.

She must be dismissed now.

I have just been on a thread abut stopping people from doing exercise because a few are breaking the rules. This is also a case of someone breaking the rules and they should be fined, heavily.

What about her mental health, perhaps she just needed to get away from it all
I've heard it all now too.

If her mental health is in question she is in the wrong job.

to support the medical profession as they work night and day to save lives,

one of the most important messages to stop the spread of the virus and to save lives is to

STAY AT HOME

I really question her ability to do the job if she is either too arrogant or too thick to follow her own instructions.

I agree with poster who said that if those giving the advice don't follow their own rules, it appears that they do not actually believe their rules are all that important or effective.
I'm sure there will be so much bitterness if we are banned from leaving the house at all, because a few do not think the rules apply to them, whoever they are.

What about her mental health, perhaps she just needed to get away from it all

What about the mental health of the family with young children who are all stuck in a 10th floor flat and have no garden or access to any playgrounds anymore and certainly no holiday cottage to escape to?

What about the mental health of the people who are confined to their homes because of their age or health vulnerabilities; who live alone and rely on family, neighbours or charities to look out for them?

What about the mental health of the front line workers who are working their nuts off on long shifts with precarious safety equipment, if any at all, and face danger every sjngle day?

Ask any one of them and I'm certain they'd leap at getting away from it all for their mental health. Good grief!

When my DH told me about this I thought at first he’d made a mistake, it was so jaw droppingly unbelievable. As for the ‘spying’ comment - what if in normal times a neighbour saw a break in at the house and called the police, would that be ‘spying ‘ And fwiw I don’t care what date PC and PW et al decamped, I don’t think running away was a ‘good look’. Especially when C then tweeted how much the children were enjoying the huge garden.

Disappointing, entitled, hypocritical fool.

When I mentioned the possibility of her mental health, it was a perhaps, I wasn't condoning what she did, I was putting it out there and and trying to think of her reasons for doing it.
The only person who knows why she did it, is Catherine Calderwood.
People are so quick to jump in, without actually reading my post properly

Well she has paid the price for this, she has been vilified on here and in the media and has probably made the biggest mistake of her career.
Her poor children will also suffer from the fallout and they have done nothing wrong.
I would rather be isolated (I have been sheilded for the last six weeks and have another 12 to go, so I know how stressful it is) than have her job.
As for the neighbour who allegedly took the photo, I'm glad they are not mine.
Was it released out of public duty or just plain malice?
No-one has come out well in all this.

She says she regrets her ‘mistake’. That was no mistake. It was blatant flouting of her own message to the people.

Oh great! I’ll just jump in my car and go off and visit my mum - from a safe distance, of course!

How stupid is Calderwood to think she could get away with it? I bet her children are furious with her, let alone the general public.

My dd has also been working seven days a week during this crisis. She’s hasn’t been any further than Tesco’s.

The neighbours have come out of it very well in my opinion Marydoll - they’ve highlighted the dangers of travelling to other villages and potentially introducing the virus there, and shown that no-one has the right to flout the rules. The only people who haven’t come out of this well are the people who did what everyone else knows you’re not supposed to do. Mental health indeed

I am NOTcondoning her actions at all.
I am NOT saying she has mental health issues.
I am NOT being dismissive of the stress being experienced of all those people out with the NHS who are working for all of us. My daughter is a key worker and I have witnessed her stress.
Nowhere in my post, did I say that.
I wrongly thought this was a thread, where we can share our thoughts on the matter.
I was just trying to put a different slant on it. Obviously that's not acceptable.

Can it just be noted that the Chief medical officer in England HAS CV ...Seems stupidity and civil servants are the common cause.Or does that only apply in this case?
I am in no way excusing Cath Calderwoods actions.But you are all making a meal of it when the podium from Downing street was changing daily because they weren't complying with distancing rules and I didn't see this amount of outrage about that....how many people did THEY infect?
Catherine Calderwood has been (until now) a respected member of her profession, both here and in England in recent years .She will pay dearly for this choice .

As for the neighbour who allegedly took the photo, I'm glad they are not mine. Was it released out of public duty or just plain malice?
I think that it was public duty, Marydoll

I am glad that this Calderwood woman is not my neighbour. I would be equally as angry as her neighbour. It would be no good reporting her to any of the powers that be because they would have closed ranks so publicity was the only way to shame her.

As some others have already pointed out, those in the public eye at this time should lead by example.
If security of a holiday home really was the reason ( was it really?) then one person could have gone, and then driven straight back ( an hour away.)
A big mistake by this lady IMHO.

Obviously she doesn't get on with her holiday home neighbours or one of them would have had a key to be able to check on the place for her. A phone call would have sufficed.

Marydoll is right; it will be her children who suffer because of their mother's actions and in fact her whole family will suffer badly from the fallout and that would be grossly unfair if that happened. I expect that there is a great deal of regret and remorse in the Calderwood household today and it remains to be seen if her career and integrity can survive it.

Can't imagine that her neighbourly relations are going to improve after this Callistemon.