People in Southport are being urged to do all they can to help our town recover from the impact of the coronavirus outbreak.
Businesses across our resort have been affected in lots of different ways by the crisis, with hundreds of shops, restaurants, bars and other venues ordered to close to stop the spread of the disease.
But with Prime Minister Boris Johnson suggesting that ‘Phase One’ of the mission to control coronavirus is nearly over, many people have now started looking towards the future – and what happens next.
Southport Business Improvement CEO Rachel Fitzgerald believes that “the key to our recovery will be the commitment of every local resident to embrace the town we live in, to love it and to use the facilities, services and amenities within it”.
The BID has already launched a Pay It Forward campaign, urging local people to buy vouchers for things like meals in restaurants, haircuts from hairdressers and goods from shops that they can redeem once the lockdown restrictions are lifted.
People urged to Pay it Forward and help businesses in Southport
Rachel Fitzgerald said: “We are living in extremely challenging circumstances at personal, community and professional level. We fear what is currently happening and we fear even more the ‘unknown’. We all look for certainty and security.
“The big question is what ‘normal’ will look like when we start to return to our businesses or to our jobs? Will we have jobs and businesses to return to? If we do, will they look and work in the same way they did before?
“Our town will be at the heart of our recovery and so it is extremely important that here in Southport we work collectively; local authority, business community, key local organisations to drive forward a plan on how we will support our town.
“We in the Business Improvement District (BID) believe that the key to the success of our recovery will be the commitment of every local resident to embrace the town we live in, to love it and to use the facilities, services and amenities within it.
“This is the time when the sense of local belonging and shared responsibility for our town is more important than ever. Together, we can not only recover but also unlock a new future for the town.”
Are you a business owner in Southport? Please use the resources at www.southportbid.com and partners at InvestSefton www.investsefton.com to get up to date information. Accessing accurate information during this time of uncertainty is vital.
Rachel Fitzgerald said: “We will continue to promote the independent businesses in this town through our Southport Indies campaign, so as a business owner, if you have news to share we can promote it for you. We also have a full list circulating on www.southportindependents.co.uk of the businesses still delivering or supporting the community through the crisis.”
You can also support the Southport Independents page on Facebook or Twitter.
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