| Good evening, Now that sports clubs are up and running again, it is just a few weeks until non-essential shops are expected to open their doors too. It has been a tough time for the retail sector in the past year as they have only been open for a handful of months in that time. And let’s face it, it wasn’t exactly plain sailing for most of our high street shops before the pandemic. Changes in our shopping habits had already started to take place, with many of us opting for the convenience of online shopping even before they closed their doors. So will the pandemic have speeded this trend - or will many of us have missed those trips into town and the social interaction involved? A campaign launched to Save the Street is asking the Chancellor to give shops a chance by providing a scheme similar to the Eat Out to Help Out for retail. The aim is to encourage people to go and spend a little (or a lot) in local, independent stores to help them and to kick-start our local economies. Can we afford it? The pertinent question is can we afford not to. Until next time, take care, Gillian Parkinson Editor Contact me at gillian.parkinson@jpimedia.co.uk | 
