The Coronavirus is causing chaos not just in the UK but across the world, at the time of writing the number of global virus cases has just passed 200,000. Sport has been cancelled, supermarket shelves are empty, and travel is virtually non-existent. During these difficult times small business owners are trying to keep their doors open, support their local communities, help those in need and provide for their families.
Many small businesses are the lifeblood of the communities they serve and operate on very small margins. They, often do not have reserves of money to see them through challenging times. Where possible, we as Boldies should be trying to support our local small businesses. Hairdressers, shops, studio gyms, many will not survive if they are forced to close their doors during the next few weeks. The government has said they will offer them loans, but loans have to be repaid at some point.
We as Boldies can help. If you are not in self-isolation, continuing to support your local businesses could make all the difference to their survival. Why not plan for the future, think about buying items such as gift vouchers or class passes, this gives the business owner money in their pocket now to help keep them afloat and you have a treat for yourself or a friend for later in the year when life has settled down. If you pay membership fees don’t cancel them if you can afford not to, help keep your local businesses operating, they will be hugely grateful to you. More importantly, they will still be there for you when you are ready to return.
## Boldie Links:
– If you are worried about Coronavirus, the latest advice from the NHS can be found **here**: