Mirfield traders given festive boost as lockdown set to ease

In a bid to help traders fight back against coronavirus, a new website has been launched by Mirfield businesswoman Nicola Warren to promote the town’s retailers.

OnMirfieldHighStreet.com aims to create a virtual high street of shops, helping those with a limited online presence an easily-managed internet outlet - with its own in-house delivery service.

The brainchild of the project is Nicola Warren, who runs the Imperil cocktail bar, in Huddersfield Road.

She said: “While we’re not strictly retailers, we only survived the first lockdown through the sheer support of the community, ordering takeaway food and drinks from us.”

Non-essential shops were forced to shut their doors during the second lockdown potentially missing out on the start of the Christmas shopping season.

Ms Warren is working with Lisa Wilson, of Mirfield-based party firm Balloon Fairy.

“We got chatting with Balloon Fairy who had been doing a lot of deliveries through lockdown and we decided we could offer a joint delivery service,” said Ms Warren.

The website sells a whole range of products from food and drink to homeware gifts, handmade crafts and prints to clothing, candles and Christmas cards.

“The website will help new businesses get online with a professional website and make managing orders less daunting.

“It will enable people to support retailers and suppliers which is a real priority. There are so many independent retailers who rely so much on Christmas trade.”

Dewsbury and Mirfield MP, Mark Eastwood said: “The work done to suppress the virus over the last few months has given us time to build testing capacity.

“Our entry in Tier 3 will arrive at a crucial time for businesses, particularly those on the high street, who will now be able to benefit from pre-Christmas trading.”