SOUTH Gloucestershire Council has awarded grants totalling almost £800,000 to help independent traders and high streets to recover, post-pandemic.

Businesses in Yate, Chipping Sodbury and Thornbury are among more than 50 businesses and organisations across the area to have received a share of the funding aimed at improving and regenerating high streets.

The council’s Help Us Thrive grants, which were launched by the authority to help high streets bounce back following the Covid-19 pandemic, have currently funded £378,000 worth of improvements and projects across the district.

Applications had to support one, or more, of five themes: a diverse and well-served high street; use of new technology to support the high street; growth of existing employment; supporting localism and social inclusion; and supporting community, independents and small businesses.

In addition, the government’s Welcome Back Fund provided a further £400,913 worth of investment to support South Gloucestershire’s High Streets.

This fund was launched in 2021 by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), to support the safe return to high streets and help build back from the pandemic.

The Swan on Thornbury High Street used the grant to create outdoor dining space. Landlady, Sandra Davies, moved the pub’s ‘eating in’ offering to ‘eating out’ with tables and chairs outside the front of the pub to complement the back garden space. The additional outdoor space proved massively popular, especially during the summer months and even after eating indoors was permitted again.

In Chipping Sodbury, the Chamber of Commerce said the grant was invaluable in helping it to promote local shops and businesses. 

Rich McDonough, joint chair, said: "These grants really have helped the local High Street stay afloat and, in some cases, even open up in the teeth of a very difficult trading situation. It’s been brilliant to see how so many of them have risen to the challenge rather than just roll over and give up.”

Bike Station UK Ltd, on Station Road, Yate, used their grant to revamp the outside of the shop and to redesign the company’s website. 

Director, Jude Belcher, said: “The grant came just at the right time for us, and we’re delighted that, despite the challenges of 2020 and 2021, we have been able to actually build our customer base and contribute to a thriving local high street, which is so important to us.”

For more information on our high streets, visit www.southglos.gov.uk/shopsouthglos.