LOCAL people are being urged to shop locally to help Melksham’s businesses get back on their feet after lockdown, as the government plans to allow non-essential stores to re-open on April 12th.
With months of lost trade during the lockdown, many businesses are now in a fight for survival.
Mayor, cllr Pat Aves, has issued a plea through Melksham News for the community to get behind local businesses saying now is the time to show your support for them. They need you more than ever if they are to survive, she says.
“Once again, and I make no apology for this, I am asking you all to ‘Shop Local’, to help keep our town centre alive, and by doing so, to help keep local people in local jobs,” she said.
“The Government has now given us a timetable, a road map out of lockdown, which, if we all behave ourselves, and keep on obeying the rules about masks and social distancing, will see us able to return to some kind of normal life by midsummer.”
With non-essential shops and hair salons able to re-open and businesses emerging from lockdown, the message from business owners is simple – ‘We need you!’
“We’ve lost too many shops in the town centre during Covid,” said Alison Clark, showroom manager for Total Carpets & Flooring in the Market Place. “So it’s important to shop local, and keep the ones that we have going – otherwise we will lose them,
“Local shops and businesses are the heart of our community and I would urge everyone to shop locally whenever they can and to help boost the local economy.”
Alexandra Stevens and Victoria Stevens from Tops Hair Salon & Beauty, said, “This is not just a local problem, this is national – our town centres are in trouble. However, we are lucky to have the shops that we have here in Melksham; we have so many independent shops – a jewellery shop, a toy shop, two butchers, a cobblers, hairdressers and more.
“So it is vital that we get behind the shops and shop local when we can. It is true what they say, use them or lose them!”
Mayor Pat Aves added, “The vaccination programme is slowly but surely beginning to lessen the transmission of the virus, but we are not out of the woods yet.
“For now, we are all looking forward to April 12th and the re-opening of some businesses which offer non essential services – hospitality, the hairdressers and outdoor attractions.
“Just in passing, shopping local, even wearing a mask, gives one the opportunity to speak to and be with other people, something many of us have longed to be able to do over the last few weary months. You don’t get that with online shopping!”