Covid-19: Collect your Phase 2 Business Support Pack

Phase 2 Covid-19 Business Support Pack
Collection Dates

Thank you to the 138 businesses who came and collected their Covid-19 Business Support Packs recently.

As promised, we have sourced a Phase 2 Support Pack which is for available for businesses who:

• Pay the Otley Business Improvement District levy, and
• Are already open
• Are able to open on Saturday 4th July following the Government’s announcement earlier this week, eg. pubs, restaurants, hairdressers, barbers, libraries, social clubs, places of worship and community centres
• Beauty therapists, Nail Bars, Dentists, Physiotherapists, Tattooists, Podiatrists.

What is included in the Covid-19 Business Support Packs?

The Covid-19 Business Support Packs (worth up to £100 each) are available FREE OF CHARGE to all Otley BID Members and will include the following (see visuals below):

• 2 x cotton face coverings – washable at 60 degrees
• 1 x roll of ‘social distancing’ floor tape – 33 metres
• 1 x 5 litre container of hand sanitiser + pump
• 1 x 500ml bottle of hand sanitiser + pump *See note below 
• 1 x signage pack (1 of each poster). The ‘Maximum xx persons at a time please’ poster enables you to write in the number of people you can safely invite into your shop at any one time and maintain the 2m social distancing
• 1 x Staying Covid-19 Secure Poster

*Please note: Hairdressers, Barbers, Beauty Therapists, Nail Bars, Dentists, Physiotherapists, Tattooists, Podiatrists will receive a pack of 30 disposable face masks in place of the small 500ml hand sanitiser + pump, due to having closer contact with their customers.

How do I collect my Support Pack?

You can collect your Support Pack from Otley Town Council’s offices (The Core, Unit 11 Orchard Gate, Otley LS21 3NX) and we ask if you would kindly:

• Wait patiently outside if there is already 1 person in the office
• Please observe the 2m social distancing guidelines
• You will be asked for your Postcode and your Business Name and Business Owner’s Details and asked to complete a short form & disclaimer to say that you have collected your items. By giving us your name, business name, email address and telephone number these details will be added to our mailing list for future communications.

When are the collection dates?

• Tuesday 30th June between 10am – 2pm
• Friday 3rd July between 10am – 2pm

Please note: The Core offices are currently closed as Otley Town Council have yet to return to work, so please ensure that you collect your packs on the above dates as the office will be closed at any other time.

Here’s what’s included within each Covid-19 Business Support Pack:

Remember to complete your Risk Assessment before opening!

The Government’s guidance for operating safely applies to those retail businesses currently open AND those who are currently closed but due to re-open on 4th July. This will help you to consider what your operation needs to look like when you begin to trade again.

Government Guidance to Re-opening

In case you may have missed it, here’s the link to the Government’s Guide to Re-opening https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19

Complete Your Risk Assessment

A Risk Assessment also is required to be completed prior to re-opening https://www.hse.gov.uk/simple-health-safety/risk/index.htm

Once the Risk Assessment has been completed and provisions put in place, you are then able to open and display the ‘Staying Covid-19 Secure‘ poster in your workplace. We will also be providing a copy of this poster within your Business Support Packs in case you haven’t got access to a printer or you haven’t yet managed to print it out.
It is important that this Risk Assessment is completed prior to opening.
If a Health & Safety Officer decides to do spot check visits you will be required to show that you have completed your Risk Assessment and that you are showing your poster as confirmation.

Other ways we are supporting you!

As well as the above Covid-19 Business Support Pack and #StaySafeInOtley Marketing Campaign, you will probably aware that throughout lockdown we have also been supporting our businesses in various ways:

• Regular Government updates via our social media, website and email
• Liaising with Leeds Council and helping businesses claim their grants
• ‘Otley Providing Essential Services‘ directory of businesses open during lockdown over a 2 month period via our website and social media
• #OtleyOpenForBusiness – daily promotional posts over a 2 month period on the Visit Otley and Otley BID social media platforms
• The resurrection of the website www.buyinotley.co.uk and the creation of an ongoing directory of businesses.

In addition to this we have now created the following additional support:

• A new ‘Welcome Back to Otley’ video featuring many different businesses around the town (see a selection of screen grabs above). The key messages are #StaySafeInOtley and #BeKindInOtley to help create a positive message that Otley is a safe place to come and shop and visit. We would be grateful if you can share this video both on your business and personal social media platforms once it is published on Visit Otley’s Facebook page.
• A new ‘Welcome Back to Otley’ newsletter which was circulated to all Otley households, businesses and the surrounding areas w/c 22nd June
• Finally, we have attached the #StaySafeInOtley messages to the red & white barriers you will have seen throughout town to enable social distancing.

The total cost for this support is in excess of £20,000. The funding for this has come from a joint collaboration between ourselves, we have contributed two thirds of the funding, and Otley Town Council and our Ward Councillors who have contributed the remaining third.

We appreciate this is a lot of money but we feel that it is the best way to both support our members in re-opening safely and efficiently, and building confidence with our residents and the general visiting public by promoting the town as a safe place to shop and visit.

We are here to help!

If you have any queries on the above, please contact us. Remember that we are here to help. You can contact us either on email to info@otleybid.co.uk, or via our social media platforms (Facebook or Twitter).

Let’s work together to #BeKindInOtley and most importantly #StaySafeInOtley.

Best wishes
Rachelle Atkin – Otley BID Champion
Otley Business Improvement District Ltd