With funding from the Government’s ‘Reopening the High Street Safely Fund’, we have been working on a campaign at Tewkesbury Borough Council to promote the safe reopening of our local high streets.
From promoting key messages on social media to sharing success stories from business owners in Tewkesbury, the Let’s Spring Back campaign aims to support businesses like yours!
Case study 2
Bishop’s Cleeve
In response to the pandemic, and at the end of the 2021 lockdown, the Let’s Spring Back project was developed by Tewkesbury Borough Council, working with V8 Media Ltd.
Under the banner, ‘Shop Safe - Shop Local - Be Kind’ the campaign’s aim was to encourage people to shop local and return to our high streets, safely.
This work forms part of the Government’s Reopening of the High Street Safety Fund, in line with the roadmap out of lockdown and encompassing businesses and community communications, whilst supporting shoppers and retail businesses.
Here we look at two Bishop’s Cleeve outlets that support Let’s Spring Back. They are Lowry’s Espresso Bar and Chocolatier, and the beauty and holistic therapies salon, SJ Beauty.
But first, let’s find out more.
Bishop’s Cleeve
Situated just outside Cheltenham, Bishop’s Cleeve is a popular retail centre with a welcoming village feel.
Bishop’s Cleeve has everything a community needs.
In the centre you’ll find a traditional butcher, a greengrocer, a hairdresser, takeaways, a gift shop, and more. There’s also a choice of character pubs, restaurants and cafes, and a specialist Chocolatier.
S J Beauty
Owner at SJ Beauty, Sophie Page explains what she has done to enable her clients to stay safe during Covid.
“In following Government guidelines to create a safe shopping environment we wear masks and we have added treatment screens. Most importantly, everything we use in the room is now disposable, including disposable couch roll and liners,” she said. “We also have hand sanitisers, we clean down the sunbeds after each use, and we gather customer details for track and trace.”
SJ Beauty adapted during lockdown by creating and selling home beauty kits, and by running a raffle to maintain income and drive social media engagement.
Lowry’s Espresso Bar and Chocolatier
A popular destination in Bishop’s Cleeve is Lowry’s Espresso Bar and Chocolatier.
Owner Alison Moseley is also a strong advocate of Let’s Spring Back.
“We take the safety of our customers very seriously,” she said. “All our outside tables are at least two meters apart with Gazebo cover and we have now been able to reopen inside. We provide full table service, which keeps crossover in the kitchen to a minimum, and we ask customers to use the QR code to support Track and Trace.
During lockdown, Lowry’s created an afternoon tea takeaway box, as well as cupcake and celebration cake boxes. These are now very popular.
Sophie Page from SJ Beauty sums it up when she says, “We stay safe and I do think that people should support smaller businesses, as these are most likely to see the biggest effect from Covid.”
Alison Moseley agrees, “Locally, we have lots of reminders such as pavement signage to encourage people to stay safe, and as a community, we’ve pulled together to provide the retail services that people need, but in a safe way.”
Staying local and shopping safely are some of the best ways to show your support for local businesses. Remember, ‘Shop Safe, Shop Local, BE Kind and together Let’s Spring Back.
