Several shop owners that are staying open in Burnham-On-Sea during the Coronavirus pandemic to provide essential products such as food have spoken out about the warm support they are receiving from residents.
Data from footfall cameras in the High Street shows there has been an 80.7% decrease in people visiting the town centre over the last two weeks amid the government’s ‘lockdown’ in which people are being urged to stay at home unless for essential travel or exercise to avoid the virus spread.
Several shops in Burnham town centre which sell essential items have remained open and have told Burnham-On-Sea.com how they are serving the needs of residents while abiding by the ‘social distancing’ guidelines.
GW Hurleys Newsagents in the High Street remains open, with reduced hours of 5am-3pm for newspaper sales, deliveries and key food items. Owner Colin Morris says: “Our newspaper sales are down but we are still doing deliveries where we can. We are also selling milk and essential food items. We have not seen many people in the shop over the last few days, which is a positive given the Government’s advice to stay home, but those we have served have been really grateful that we are open. Everyone will be so glad when it’s all over.”
Truckles farm shop in Burnham High Street has been “very busy,” says owner Ian Keane, adding: “We’ve been delivering a wide range of fresh food and meat to local customers – the phone has been ringing all day. We are encouraging people to try and store up their delivery orders to just one per week so we can help everyone. We thank everyone for their wonderful support.”
Gardiner-Whites is delivering fresh food, fruit and veg from its store in Burnham High Street. Jax says: “It’s been our busiest-ever few weeks for us – we are completing 30-40 deliveries a day across an area covering Weston to Bridgwater. A number of local helpers have kindly been helping us to do the deliveries while also taking care to keep themselves and customers safely distanced. People have been hugely grateful that we are doing this – our phone lines have been overloaded.”
The Pet Shop in Burnham High Street is also open from 8.30am-4pm, providing key pet foods and products. The store’s Tracey Bagg, above, says: “We are ticking along and are doing a lot more deliveries to local people who can’t get out. We have received many lovely supportive messages from people who are so grateful that we are open to enable their pets to be fed. We are providing local deliveries over the phone for purchases of £10 or more – and we plan to continue unless the Government says otherwise.”
Winnnies bakery in the High Street continues to be open, but with shorter hours of 10am-2pm. The shop’s Julie Lawrence says the store has been undertaking local deliveries and adds: “It has been quieter than normal, but our customers have been really grateful to find a range of fresh bread and other products here. Fortunately, our food is all locally baked so we have been able to keep well stocked.”
Seafoods in the High Street has also been opening on restricted hours this week, based around stock deliveries. “There is a supply of fresh fish but the problem at the present time is the transport,” says the shop.
Kyffins health food shop in Victoria Street, which remains open from 9am-4pm, says it has unfortunately been “really quiet – far more so than normal – but we will stay open as long as we can to serve our customers and residents.”
Bargain Booze is providing its normal range, while Toy Cupboard has temporarily closed its shop in Pier Street, but continues to make newspaper and magazine deliveries. Chemists such as Boots in the High Street and Well Pharmacy in Victoria Street remain open.
Many take-away food shops in Burnham remain open too, alongside several other key services that are featured on this full list of Burnham delivery services here.
