Support local: Wakefield businesses 'keeping the lights on' amid lockdown - but they need your support to survive

A Wakefield shopkeeper is urging people to support their high streets through lockdown, warning that many shops will not survive without extra help.
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Tania Howe runs Betty Loves Candles, in Trinity Walk, and says she is concerned the second national lockdown will encourage people to do their Christmas shopping online, rather than in person.

Her shop, like many others, remains open for click and collect orders, but she says she has received very little interest since lockdown came into place.

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She said: "The last week before lockdown was absolutely cracking, but not many people have done the click and collect.

Tania Howe runs Betty Loves Candles, in Trinity Walk, and says she is concerned the second national lockdown will encourage people to do their Christmas shopping online, rather than in person.Tania Howe runs Betty Loves Candles, in Trinity Walk, and says she is concerned the second national lockdown will encourage people to do their Christmas shopping online, rather than in person.
Tania Howe runs Betty Loves Candles, in Trinity Walk, and says she is concerned the second national lockdown will encourage people to do their Christmas shopping online, rather than in person.

"It's awful. I just hope people will be loyal and come back.

"We're all doing it, even the big branches are doing click and collect. But I think people all went mad and exhausted themselves shopping last week.

"People are queuing around the block for garden centres and takeaways, the cars are coming out onto dual carriageways and roundabouts.

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"But the little shops in town are open and keeping the lights on too."

Earlier this year, the Express launched a #SupportLocal campaign encouraging people to back local businesses who had been hit by the pandemic.

Many local businesses rely on Christmas trade for up to half of their annual income, and were counting on the support of shoppers through November to make up for sales lost earlier in the year.

Tania wants to see people make a concerted effort to support independent shops like hers, by picking a day to order and collect all their shopping and support the high street.

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She said: "If it was me I'd do some click and collect in Wakefield. Let's order to collect from the supermarkets and do it all on the same day.

"Do everything on that one day, park up, get a coffee, go to the bank, walk around and do it. You can social distance.

"Come and walk around your town. See what there is, find new things. We need that money to keep our shops going.

"I'll adapt if people need me to, of course I will. I'm doing anything and everything I possibly can to keep the sales going."