Boost for Earlestown as non-essential shops reopen

Many businesses have remained open during the pandemic but non-essential stores, including several in the charity sector, have remained closed.

The ExtraCare charity shop in Market Street has opened its doors, with the shop’s only two paid employees coming back from furlough to hold the fort.

The store’s manager, Carol Fawcett, said: “We haven’t got our volunteers back yet. We’ve been trying to do it.

“I’ve had to rope my boyfriend in because he’s not back in work yet, so he’s coming in to help me.

“We’re just trying to keep the shop open.”

Richard Nash, 72, has overseen today’s reopening of Project Freedom Trust in Bridge Street.

The charity’s operations manager said customers have been social distancing, although some customers have not been using the hand sanitiser provided.

Richard Nash, operations director at Project Freedom Trust

Richard said the charity, which has three shops, has continued to do some sales during lockdown through home delivery, but said it has been very tough.

“Charities like us, we haven’t got thousands of pounds in the background to back us up,” Richard said.

“We don’t employ anybody. We have two self-employed drivers. We don’t have to pay them, but we have.

“We’ve honoured that and paid them while we’ve been off, even though we didn’t have to because they’re self-employed.

“One of the lads has been able to give me a few hours back.”

Elsewhere in Bridge Street, Celebrations gift shop has reopened after a 12-week absence.

The shop’s owner, Margaret Holland, has been running the shop for almost two decades, and admitted that she has enjoyed her time off.

Luckily, she has been able to access financial support through St Helens Council and has been lucky to have an understanding landlord.

Her husband has also worked throughout the pandemic.

Opening for the first time today, Margaret has put posters around the store remaining to keep 2m apart and has hand sanitizer for customers to use.

Looking ahead, she is remaining positive about the future.

Margaret Holland, owner of Celebrations gift shop

“I’m not overly worried,” Margaret said. “There will probably be a bit of a dip until people start coming out properly.

“Obviously, people get used to shopping online and that’s killed a lot of stuff off.

“We used to do fancy dress, but it’s killed all that off, we stopped doing that a few years ago.

“But I’m not overly worried, I’ll just have to see how it pans out.”

Pam Lewis, owner of the Funky Bunch florists in Market Street, started trading again three weeks ago, focusing on home delivery and funerals.

Much of the business in recent weeks has been making gift boxes, mainly for the elderly who have been shielding.

Pam said she found the first eight weeks of lockdown tough, and decided she had to adapt her business and return to work in order to stay afloat.

“I’ve had to open because I’m a single mum,” Pam said. “I’ve got bills in here to pay, bills at home to pay, but had eight weeks out of work.

“I thought, I need to do something.

“I think if I hadn’t opened when I opened I think I probably would have gone under, I wouldn’t have been able to survive. I’d have probably lost my house.

“You get the grant and that but it’s not enough to kind of run a house and a business.”

Pam Lewis, owner of the Funky Bunch florists, and her son, Cohen

Despite being able to reopen her shop, Pam is still keen to avoid people coming inside in order to protect her assistant – her eight-year-old son Cohen.

“I’m just carrying on as I have been doing to be honest,” she said. “I have been handing things over outside.

“Because I’ve got Cohen I don’t really want to let anyone in the shop to be honest.

“I’ve not turned anybody away. I’ve just been doing the best I can, but I have to protect him.”

The latest public health advice has been put up around Market Street to help shoppers, who are encouraged to plan ahead.

If possible, take your own hand sanitiser, face covering, and umbrella in case you have to queue outside.

Currently, no public toilets are open in Earlestown or St Helens town centres.