The Norfolk Deli, Hunstanton
Source: The Norfolk Deli
“The more self-sufficient a small business is, the better placed it is to survive a crisis. Our cakes, bakes and salads are made in-house. If you have the skills in-house, my advice is use them. When customers come to a shop like ours they want homemade food – our highest grossing and typically most profitable items are the ones we make ourselves.
“We are also reasonably self-sufficient in other ways. I used to work in IT sales and marketing, and from day one we intended to have a website that would need to pay for itself and generate its own revenue. The flexibility of our website was such that within the space of one afternoon after lockdown had started I had put together a home delivery service where 70% to 80% of the shop was available online.
This time round it feels impossible to fully understand and follow the rules. You can go out for exercise, you can travel for exercise but stay local? What exactly is local? The rules are about as clear as mud. Confused and fed up sums up the daily lives of this household.
The shielder
Sue Lawrence, 74, from Thorpe St Andre, who is currently shielding.Picture: Sue Lawrence
- Credit: Sue Lawernce
Grandmother Sue Lawrence, 74, from Newark Close in Thorpe St Andrew, is shielding once more after her diagnosis of Huntingdon s disease five years ago. I am finding this lockdown a lot harder. I think the dark cold nights and mornings don’t help, she said.