It’s more than eight months since Prime Minister Boris Johnson first put the UK into lockdown.

Shops, salons and cafes down Royal Wootton Bassett’s high street were forced to close, with no idea when, or if, they would be able to reopen.

It was a strange time. Unprecedented, in fact. Never before had the place so well-known for its community spirit been so still.

“During lockdown, it was pretty much a ghost town,” said Claudia Allen, who travelled in from Brinkworth to get groceries for her shielding family. “Now, it’s basically returned to exactly how it was before.”

That is, without some local institutions like Deacons Jewellers and Bassett Books that simply could not survive the coronavirus pandemic.

As their owners made the difficult decision to keep their doors shut, many businesspeople in the area saw an opportunity. And so, the revival of Royal Wootton Bassett’s high street began.

For some, like Amanda Cooper of Dandelion Gifts & Coffee Shop, lockdown was a period to renovate and work on a new upstairs coffee lounge. For others, like Dan Howe of Dan’s Deli, it was a chance to become more active online with virtual cheese tasting events.

For Jo Portsmouth, a mum-of-two living in Royal Wootton Bassett, it was a time to upgrade The Town Pantry from a converted horsebox at the weekly market to the town’s first zero-waste shop.

“I happened to go to the supermarket a week before the actual lockdown, just to get my nan something, and seeing the shelves empty there was really like, oh wow, so this is actually real, this is actually a thing,” she said. “And then I thought – well, I’ve got loads of pasta at home…”

Having sold waste-free goods since September of last year, it’s safe to say Jo and her family were prepared for months of isolation. But rather than keep the copious amounts of rice, porridge oats, dried fruit and nuts she had stored in her spare bedroom, Jo decided to operate her company from her driveway.

“I could still make up orders, not accept people’s containers, but use bottles that we had. I raided all the neighbours’ wine bottle recycling, so got all those out, and paper bags, so we were able to then open ourselves up to customers that hadn’t even heard of us or didn’t shop with us because they couldn’t get to the market,” she said.

Eight months later, getting to the market isn’t an obstacle for Royal Wootton Bassett’s eco-friendly shoppers, as The Town Pantry has set up shop in Apsley House.

“A lady who does waxing on the high street suggested looking at the arcade because it was really reasonable rent, so I did and then four weeks later we opened!” explained Jo.

Welcoming visitors and their shopping lists five days a week, the store not only reflects a change in consumer behaviour locally, but across the country as well.

Although recent research by the Local Data Company and accountancy firm PwC has shown that store closures in the UK have hit record levels in 2020, a resurgence of interest in local high streets has also appeared thanks to the pandemic.

“The practicalities of lockdown and the increase in working from home mean that independent shops tend to be located where consumers increasingly are,” said Lisa Hooker, consumer markets leader at PwC, in the network’s report. “Despite the stark numbers, there remains a future for physical stores. We all still want and need to physically visit shops and leisure operators, it’s likely then that whatever happens retail will come out of this smaller but stronger.”

Sally Barker, secretary of the Royal Wootton Bassett Chamber of Commerce, agreed. “A lot of shops did have to adapt, and they certainly didn’t get the sales that they were getting before, but they’ve survived it,” she says. “People are still wanting to shop on the high street. They’re still wanting to shop and handle things and see them face-to-face.”

Angie Reeves, a member of the Royal Wootton Bassett Business Association and resident of the town for the last 20 years said: “I accept that many businesses are finding this new world a struggle, and may not make it out the other end. However, I would like to think that there may be greater value placed on our independents as a result, many of whom kept us in vital supplies during the pandemic. So, as life returns to normal, I hope that we will all place greater value on the importance of local businesses to a successful community.”