Chester and Cheshire West businesses gear up to welcome back visitors

As the national lockdown ends and Cheshire drops into Tier 2 restrictions, shops, restaurants, hotels and attractions are poised to help make Christmas 2020 as enjoyable – and safe – as possible for local people.

And, with the festive period in full swing, the Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), Marketing Cheshire and the local authorities in Warrington; Cheshire West and Chester; and Cheshire East, are calling on communities to support the businesses right on their doorstep.

From taking a short break as a last minute December getaway, to picking up gifts for loved ones from independent retailers and booking pre-Christmas meals out with your household or support bubble, local residents have plenty to choose from.

The pandemic has forced many businesses to change the way they operate. Among those businesses to have adapted is family-run, artisan markets operator The Market Co, which has created an online platform, #ArtisansOnline, that provides a new platform for its 500-plus artisan traders to continue selling to their customers.

Co-founder Denise Valente, who received grant funding through the Cheshire and Warrington LEP to help recover, said: “As directors of a limited company, my husband and I fell through the net for any Government grant support – at the beginning when we had to cancel all our outdoor events, we thought we just had to sit tight and that support for businesses like ours would eventually come, but sadly we are part of the ‘Excluded’ group.

“After almost six months with no income, it was a life-saver when we were accepted for funding to pay for additional infrastructure to ensure we were Covid-safe, meaning we could get ready to open safely.

“Our new online platform now also means that our traders – which include artisan food, crafts and art – can continue to operate in a new way, even once we re-open our physical events. The latest funding has allowed us to really promote the site and make sure that we’re reaching new customers effectively – there’s no doubt it’s been a challenging time but we’re looking forward to what this next, albeit unexpected, chapter will bring.”

As part of the Let’s Turn This Around initiative, which was set to encourage residents and businesses to work together to keep the region open for business, destinations around Cheshire and Warrington have created their own incentives.

Across both Chester and Knutsford, special gift cards have been created that bring together hundreds of shops, leisure suppliers, salons and restaurants, offering ‘local currency’ in the form of a pre-paid Mastercard.

In Warrington, Nantwich and Northwich, independent traders have been able to join dedicated Facebook pages that act as a hub to share latest offers, deals and updates.

Councillor Louise Gittins, Leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council, said: “We’d like to offer a warm welcome back to our high streets. Carefully we can all prepare for the festivities. Our local businesses along with all of us have had a hard time. The virus hasn’t gone away, but our shops and high streets are ready. By remembering ‘hands, face, space’ we can all look forward to a very happy Christmas.

“Please plan your journeys carefully to avoid peak times and allow a little more time, together we can all turn this around.”

As part of its ongoing support to local businesses, the Cheshire and Warrington Growth Hub is also running a series of webinars to give businesses advice on how to access support and grant funding during this time.

Clare Hayward, chair of the Cheshire and Warrington LEP, said: “It’s more important than ever to get behind our local high street, attractions and hospitality venues. They need us to show them our support and you can enjoy what’s right here on our doorstep.

“When you book a short break in the Cheshire countryside, enjoy a family meal out at a local restaurant or choose to buy your gifts from an independent business, you are making an incredible difference to the people in our region and making that difference will make you smile too.

“Our region has so much to offer; amazing days out, delicious food and beautiful scenery to enjoy.  We would like to encourage everyone to safely enjoy your local areas. We can get away from it all this Christmas, just a little closer to home.”

To find out more about how to support local this Christmas, visit: www.visitcheshire.com

If you would like to get involved with Let’s Turn This Around and share your business’ best practice for keeping COVID-secure, or share which businesses stand out for you, visit: http://www.871candwep.co.uk/helping-business/lets-turn-this-around/