Whetting the appetite for a life more ordinary

WITH each week that passes, it’s great to see more businesses opening up and life continuing to return to some semblance of normality.

Indeed, at times in Rawtenstall, when you look around, it’s possible to forget the pandemic has happened - but only momentarily.

Face masks are an obvious sign, and it’s great to see people wearing them so readily in shops. Shop workers and their bosses were put in a tight spot by the Government when the rules were introduced, but thankfully most companies have put the onus on individuals to wear masks when shopping, not on staff to enforce them,

Whenever I see a bus, it still feels very empty. This week, Transdev - which owns Rossendale Transport and runs Rawtenstall bus station - said a survey of its passengers suggest nine out of ten were ready to get back on buses. The question, I suspect, is when.

This weekend sees the launch of the Government’s ‘eat out to help out’ scheme, offering discounts of up to £10 per head for eating out on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. A much needed boost and hopefully one many people around here will take up.

So many of our eateries battled through Coronavirus to keep serving food and they deserve our support. Within a five-mile radius of the centre of Rawtenstall, there are over 100 establishments signed up to the scheme.

Hopefully they will see a surge in business during August. As ways of helping get things back to normal go, governmentsubsidised dining out is one of the more appealing so far!