North Coast businesses: Missing Easter trade is "heart-breaking"
Our reporter Chelsie Kealey has been speaking to business owners
Entrepreneurs on the north coast have told Downtown Cool FM missing out on one of the busiest periods for trade is ‘soul destroying.’
Over 374 days on from the first lockdown in Northern Ireland we’ve been catching up with owners, many of which are calling for the Executive to provide indicative dates as part of the roadmap to recovery.
Urban restaurant in Portrush is one, it has only been allowed to open for a few months due to the cycle of recurring lockdowns.
Owners Ruth Owen and Gareth Witherow also have two other restaurants: The Tides in Portrush and Newbridge restaurant in Coleraine.
Ruth told us about the emotional impact of prolonged closure and not having a date to work towards.
She said: “It’s just heart-breaking we’ve put our life and our soul into this restaurant and for it to only really have really been open a few months it’s heart breaking.
“Even when we did get back open, we lost a pile of tables, we were adhering to social distancing and we wanted to so that to keep our environment safe.
“We didn’t even have an Easter last year you know we’ve been open for technically over a year and still haven’t had any Easter season in this restaurant which is terribly sad.
“As everyone knows the North Coast is a seasonal town, we make our money in the summer months.
“Other businesses in the town have already announced they won’t ever reopen and that’s super sad there’s going to be holes left right and centre in the town.
“It is devastating it’s going to be a massive impact.”
Ruth has called on the Stormont Executive to provide more clarity to businesses and has urged Stormont Minister to provide a reopening date to work towards.
She added: “Every time we have to go into one (lockdown) and come out it’s so tough on the business, but what’s tougher is the lack of communication from our Government.
“We’ve no clear indication when were going to get back open and we never had a clear indication.
“We’re a seasonal town and we rely on our businesses from here on in.
“From Easter right through to the end of the summer.
“We’re a small seasonal town and it’s going to be really sad the impact this has had.
“Northern Ireland has done an excellent job of rolling out the vaccine here.
“Our most vulnerable in this society has now been protected.
“So, standing here now I can safely say I don’t understand why we’re not open right now I don’t because the most vulnerable in the society now has been vaccinated.”
Read More:
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