Bognor Regis Christmas plans 'designed to survive a lockdown'

That was the message from Bognor Regis Business Improvement District following the announcement of a second national lockdown, which is set to last into December.

Non-essential businesses will have to close from Thursday (November 5) after Prime Minister Boris Johnson tightened restrictions, as Covid-19 cases continue to rise at a concerning rate.

The lockdown will take place in England from November 5 until December 2 and people are being asked to stay at home unless for specific purposes – such as childcare, exercise, buying food, or if you cannot work from home.

Mr Johnson admitted during a press conference on Saturday evening that Christmas in the country will be 'very different this year'.

Heather Allen, Bognor Regis BID co-ordinator said the lockdown announcement was 'undoubtedly unwelcome news' for residents, but said she would be 'pushing ahead' with Christmas preparations.

"The harsh reality is that, at this point in time, none of us know what the situation is going to be in December, but the plans the BID has been working on for Christmas were all designed to survive a lockdown, if needs be," she said.

"It’s inevitable that there may be changes to time scales, that we’ll need to adapt some elements, and installation dates might move – that’s for me to worry about and resolve, but we will be pushing ahead, and we will make Bognor Regis town centre a place that people can enjoy being this Christmas – whatever restrictions are in place at the time.

"We have to keep working together to make Bognor Regis Town Centre appealing to people as a place to be and enjoy, keeping local businesses at the forefront of their thinking and driving them to shop local wherever, whenever and however they can."

Ms Allen said she would be 're-designing the look of the online high street', established for the town earlier this year, 'to tie it in with the Christmas campaign'.

She added: "If you’ve already created a listing, please log in to your account and make any changes needed to show how people will be able to access your services or stay in touch with you during lockdown.

"If you haven’t registered yet, now is a great time to do so – you’ll find full details of how to list on Shop Local Bognor Regis here."

The BID co-ordinator said she cannot yet answer questions regarding financial support for businesses but revealed that she is in communication with Arun District Council.

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