We are living in times witnessing extreme difficulties within the retail sector, locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.
Prudhoe has a wide range of shops and other businesses, not just on front street but elsewhere throughout the town.
As we look forward to the weeks and months ahead coming through this pandemic the way we all conduct our daily business will have to change.
The view of many before the lockdown was that Prudhoe was a vibrant place to do business and had a new and exciting future.
A great place to live, work, visit learn & invest in.
People are very Proud of Prudhoe and all it offers.
Our view then and now is the future of the town is indeed very bright.
The low Prudhoe development will give residents more options where to shop & create employment opportunities.
Residents will soon have much needed & long awaited facilities in the town which will save them time & money and save them travelling many miles as many do now.
Reduce congestion on roads out of town and save the environment.
Buildings that have been abandoned for many years have recently been brought back into use, with different offers reflecting the change in this great & now modern thinking town.
Shop premises that have not been leased out for many years are now occupied & have added to the towns offer including varied employment opportunities.
‘Keeping Prudhoe people in Prudhoe and welcoming shoppers from outside the town’
Shops that have been able to remain trading during the crisis have earned the loyalty of many.
Some established businesses have only just been ‘discovered’ by local people.
We conducted a recent facebook poll that showed a large majority of those who took part said they would use Prudhoe businesses more now than they did before the crisis.
Prudhoe is a large town, but we can not attract all businesses, we are told competition in some sectors could be greater, so residents may still choose to travel or we see an increasing number of people are shopping online.
Many Prudhoe businesses are now looking at improving their online presence and some making online.
Contactless payments are now the norm for many, safeguarding people.
Possibly going out of their usual business premises to meet potential customers, changing times and days they operate.
Government financial support is available in various forms, and this includes money to open back up our ‘high streets’ in a safe and sensible way.
A new walking and cycling strategy and major road investment in the town will improve the local offer.
Transport provision is being reviewed.
We have seen over the last three years far greater emphasis upon tourism & leisure supporting the local economy, we will continue to push this forward.
Major investment continues to support this including substantial improvements to play parks.
So much is happening behind the scenes & we are in regular discussions with many people and organisations including traders.
It has been a pleasure to work closely with many businesses during this challenging time supporting them in a variety of ways, not just to ensure they remain solvent but also looking to the future.
We are asking that everyone looks at how they do business and respectfully suggest that they may like to use local services more than ever, the benefit of this is apparent not just for the business and the customer but the wider Prudhoe community.
Please Shop locally because businesses can not continue without customers and communities die without facilities being available locally.
It is clear that if people do not use them they will lose them.
If you have a business currently trading outside Prudhoe we would be delighted to discuss relocating to the town.
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(We do not take reports or enter into discussion via social media but offer a wide range of methods for residents to contact Gordon & Ken their County Cllrs )
#Prudhoe a great place to live work visit learn & invest in.
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