One week on - we catch up with Bracknell and Wokingham businesses

Following this important date for many of Bracknell and Wokingham's businesses, we caught up with some of our local stores on how the first week back has been.

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Sit and Sip, Wokingham

Jim Foley, Manager at Sit and Sip Wokingham, said: "its been our best week for the past year.

"With the Easter holidays a lot of kids and families were enjoying time outside, so it's good to see a lot of the community back together again.

"Even though we're all outside it's sure as hell a lot better to get that sense of normality back.

"We've been fortunate enough that the weather has been dry - It might've been cold, but people were desperate to get a drink.

"We even got water bottles out and blankets to keep people cosy!

"I think it would have been a very different story had the heavens opened - we'd have probably struggled to make a dollar. Hopefully, if the weather stays dry, we should be okay."

When asked if there were any lessons to be learnt from the first week back, Mr Foley added: "Most of our lessons were learnt in the last year.

"We've adapted so much so many times and so many different restrictions, it's sort of normal now.

"As much as we want to see the end of this, we understand that these measures have been taken and why.

"We take all safety very seriously but we are not going to ram it down everyone's throats.

"The one lesson we've learnt is that people are sick and fed up of hearing about rules and regulations.

"They understand they are in place and they follow them, and that's it. We've learnt not to be so terrified of making a mistake, and instead [focussed on] providing a good experience."

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Berkshire Vapers, Winnersh

Jordan, member of staff at Berkshire Vapers, Winnersh, said: "It's been a little bit slow, but it will pick up eventually.

When talking about how coronavirus safety requirements are being met inside the vape store, he added: "We always have our masks on, we always have hand sanitiser on the counters, and its one customer at a time at the moment, and customers are happy to wait outside.

"We still have loads of face-masks from the previous time we opened, before the last lockdown, so it's just getting back into that routine again.

"I think things will improve form here - after each lockdown, it has started slow and picked up after a few weeks, so it's just waiting on customers to be a little less apprehensive about coming back into the public.

"Once that happens everything should be fine again."

Jo'Lea Hair Design, Binfield

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Jodie Carroll, co-owner of Jo'Lea Hair Designs, Binfield, said: "it's been very very busy, but it's been nice to see everyone.

"The salon cleaning routine is really good, as I used to be poorly all the time but with all the deep cleaning I haven't been poorly in a long time!

"It's just been mega busy- we're fully booked for the next three weeks, but it's great to be back at work.

"We put up a big balloon arch for when we opened up - everyone was just happy to see us.

"Everyone that booked in December had priority, and put in the clients that were booked in first as we thought it was only fair."