Knaresborough shops work together on home delivery and being open for business

Knaresborough businesses are coming together in a response to the Coronavirus/ COVID-19.

Following the announcement that yesterday (16 March 2020) that Government were extending measures against Coronavirus, a group from the Knaresborough Chamber of Trade came together for a late-evening meeting to look at what could be done to help the town.

The Chamber now has a plan of action to support local business, help them maintain us much trade as possible, directly to the shops and online.

Update: the website has been launched at https://knaresboroughdelivers.com/

The following recommendations have now been made by the government:

• Whole households to self-isolate for 14 days, not just those showing symptoms
• Avoid gatherings and crowded places, such as pubs, clubs and theatres
• Everyone should work from home if they can
• All “unnecessary” visits to friends and relatives in care homes should cease
• People over 70, pregnant women or those that normally have the flu jab should take particular care to minimise social contact

The recommendations didn’t go as far as mandating closures of venues, but it has left the final decision with the venue to decide if to stay open or for the individual to decide if to go out.

Ashleigh Lambert, co-owner of the Six Poor Folk Public House said:

The government has made it confusing for everyone and difficult for pubs to manage their businesses within these recommendations.

We have a staff of 14 here and it is difficult to know what we should now do. If the government had said that pubs must close then many would have been able to claim on insurance and this could preserve some jobs.

We already have tightly controlled hygiene procedures, but have upped them due to this.

Going to a pub doesn’t create a greater risk than going to your local supermarket.

The ability to claim on business insurance is by no mean guaranteed. Many insurance policies specify diseases that they will cover for and as COVID-19 is relatively new, many don’t provide cover for it.

The Chamber plans to work on a home delivery service, improving hygiene and making sure that

Bill Taylor, Knaresborough Chamber of Trade said:

The Chamber needs to take the initiative to support all businesses in the town.

Providing advice to improve hygiene in all businesses is an important step to inform consumers that Knaresborough is open for business and a safe place to shop.

As more people self-isolate, they are will finding it increasingly difficult to get essential food supplies and other items. We want people to continue to use all the towns shops, but the challenge is how that can happen.

We are now going to trial a delivery service to the Knaresborough residents that are self-isolating using shops in the town. It will be a box that will include all the basics that you will need for several meals including fruit, vegetables, milk and bread.

To start with me we are keepoing things simple with a standard offering. If that goes well then we may expand to a vegetarian box or to deliver other items from the local shops.

A website is in development and people will be able to order and pay online. We know that not all will have access to view or pay online and we hope that younger friends or relatives can help out remotely.

Initially this will be a trial to gauge the level of interest.

It will be run by a small team of volunteers and designed to be scalable should demand be high.

Knaresborough Home Delivery Facts:

• Order online by 4pm for a delivery the next day, a website will be launched later in the week
• The box price is to be confirmed
• It will include vegetables, fruit, meat, milk and eggs
• Delivery will be free to Knaresborough residents
• Initially delivery will be on a trial basis and prioratised to people self-isolating
• It supports local business and provides essential items

Many Knaresborough businesses are now reacting to the need for people to self-isolate and are making provision to be online, by setting up their own websites for ordering.

Bill Taylor added:

As we speak to many local businesses, we are finding many are now going online.

But for those that are unsure, the chamber is going to look at how we can support businesses to make that happen.

The Chamber is committed to both supporting local businesses and also providing maximum reassurance for customers in this very challenging and unprecedented time.

Knaresborough businesses are asking for support.

Steve Teggin owns a barbers and is part of the Knaresborough Chamber:

Many of the shops, pubs and restaurants have already increased their hygiene regimes in a response to COVID-19.

Many of the restaurants and takeaways are already rated with a high score from the Food Standards Agency, but we all need to think about what else we can do.

Knaresborough being a collection of small individual specialised shops offers a lower risk and a safer environment to shop in than larger stores in larger towns with a higher volume of consumers.

The website will become a central portal for the stores and venues within the town. The Chamber are asking for people to watch for the launch and to buy a Knaresborough Food Box, if it will be useful to you.