It was good to be out in Stoke D’Abernon on Friday, meeting local businesses with councillors David and Mary Lewis. Almost two weeks after Elmbridge entered the “high” COVID alert level, I wanted to see how businesses have been finding the restrictions and raise awareness of the new government support available.
The businesses I’ve visited across Elmbridge have been doing a great job in supporting their communities in recent months, and Stoke D’Abernon was no exception. Bruce’s Doggy Day Care, for example, ensured that key workers with pets could carry on doing their jobs. The Mace convenience store, Zara’s Patisserie and ‘Good Elf’ delicatessen all stayed open during lockdown to support the community, with the latter expanding their product range to make sure residents could access what they needed. I saw another great example of this community spirit when I met the volunteers running Chatterbus, a not for profit bus service which now takes children to Cobham Free School.
It was very welcome to find out how government support has kept businesses going. I heard from Corinne, at Baloolah hairdressers, that both the furlough scheme and one of the small business grants had made a real difference. At Bruce’s Doggy Day Care, the furlough scheme saved over 50 jobs and everyone is now back at work.
It’s clear that, while businesses owners and staff are putting in a huge amount of effort, this is still a challenging time. The government has made more help available, and I encourage residents to support local businesses (as much as possible in line with current restrictions) through this period.
