Shoppers in Redruth have been adapting to the ‘new normal’ on the high street as non-essential business opened to the public last week.

Mayor of Redruth Deborah Reeve spent the week in the town centre assisting shoppers and offering advice to visitors.

She said: “Businesses have gone to great lengths in order to comply with the government guidelines to ensure their customer's safety is a priority, which in turn has made shoppers feel much more confident about venturing back into the town.

“Many traders have gone over and above what is necessary and should be commended for taking such innovative approaches. "

The street saw the public return to the historic town, which has seen more than 70 shops in the area reopen in full or part, helping restart the local economy.

Councillor Reeve added: “It has been great to see how many of our independent traders have reopened this week. I think the coming weeks and months could be a real turning point for small towns as independent traders come into their own.”

Food outlets and cafes are also getting use to the new way of working, adapting to take-away services and outdoor seating to be able to provide the public with a little ‘pick me up’.

Ian Trevethick of Trevethick's Pasty Shop said: "It's brilliant to be open again and we have been very busy. I would like to thank the team responsible for helping us with information and guidance. It's been fantastic and it has made me feel very safe to reopen my business."

Annelie Wood at the Craft Collective, an independent craft and gifts shop, said: “It has been really lovely to welcome our regular customers back into the shop. Many popped in to pick up gifts for Father's Day.”

Redruth town has set out three clear guidelines for visitors: keep social distance, keep to the left and shop local.

It is also offering a 'business toolkit' to assist the return to trading from its dedicated website reopenredruth.co.uk

The reopening of Redruth has been enabled by the England European Regional Development Fund that has offered to assist with funding to ensure that the measures required are met in a timely and cost effective manner.