Shropshire Star

'Fabulous atmosphere' in Shrewsbury after return of non-essential shops

Traders have described a "fabulous atmosphere" in Shrewsbury town centre after the first few days of non-essential shops being open again.

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Wyle Cop traders Gillian Dhansingani, Jonathan Soden, Gaynor Jones, Hanna Ford (front middle), Jeannette Sherry and Gill Gradwell

Bunting, flags and posters have been put up and traders in Wyle Cop even shared a special celebration ‘welcome back’ cake to mark the occasion, baked by The Cafe on the Cop.

Jonathan Soden, of The Soden Collection, said: “It’s been a long time but people will feel confident enough to come back into town now.

“A lot of work has gone into making the town safe - there are signs on the pavement advising people of social distancing, and every trader has the necessary measures in place to ensure safety.

Jonathan Soden

“We’re so excited to be open again and welcoming people back, we have missed seeing everyone. It feels a bit like the first day of school!”

Michelle Gilchrist, of White Lotus Living, added: “I was very happy to be back, and you could tell that people were really pleased to be shopping again in a safe environment, and the road closures really helped with that.

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“It was great to have social interaction with people again, and to be able to help customers choose items for them and their home.

“There was a fabulous atmosphere on the Cop with lots of space for people to walk at a safe distance from one another. It’s just great to see fellow independent shops open again.”

Seb Slater, executive director of Shrewsbury BID, said: “I think everyone is just pleased to see shops and businesses open again, and we all need to play out part to ensure the virus does not spread and we can look to the future with optimism.”