NOW more and more shops and businesses have re-opened, with wearing facemasks in shops the 'new normal' and gyms the latest to welcome customers back this week, our high streets are filling again.

Some people will take this in their stride and follow the safety advice and social distancing measures in place, while others may feel quite worried about going to the shops or even leaving their home after spending months indoors.

Businesses too are also grappling with the changes they need to make to ensure they are COVID- secure and welcome customers and staff back safely.

Wiltshire Council is continuing to support local communities and businesses through coronavirus and is pleased to announce it has partnered with Newsquest (LocaliQ), the publishers of the Wiltshire Gazette and Herald, Wiltshire Times and the Salisbury Journal, to deliver a Stay Safe & Shop Local campaign throughout the county.

Over the next 13 weeks, the campaign will help raise awareness of safety measures in place in Wiltshire, ultimately reassuring residents that they can shop safely and will also support small and medium sized businesses in our local high streets to reopen safely.

Philip Whitehead, leader of Wiltshire Council, said: “We are delighted to partner with Newsquest (LocaliQ) to deliver this exciting Stay Safe & Shop Local campaign. It is now more important than ever that we support our local shops to protect Wiltshire businesses and safeguard jobs and this campaign will help reassure and give confidence to our residents that they can do that.

“By partnering with Newsquest (LocaliQ) we can share various safety messages widely across their local print-based newspapers and magazines and their web and social media digital channels to reach more residents and businesses. We recognise that people will return to the high street at different times and not all businesses will reopen immediately, which is why our campaign runs for the next few months.

“We are all in this together and it is only by supporting each other that our Wiltshire businesses and local economy can meet the challenges currently being faced.”

The partnership campaign is being funded through the Reopening the High Streets Safely Fund which is funded by the European Regional Development Fund and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Gazette editor Pete Gavan said: "We see this partnership as the natural extension of our own Backing Business and Shop Local campaign, helping our clients by spreading the word that shopping is back and safe, and that Shop Local is the watchword, and reassuring our readers that now is the time to come out of their homes, making sure they keep themselves Covid-safe, and how to do that."