Coronavirus (Covid 19) has created a challenging time for businesses across Bradford district with many forced to close their doors or dramatically downsize their operations.
However, lots of businesses are rising to the challenge by innovating to stay afloat.
Cake’ole, which specialise in creating eye-catching, colourful and imaginative combinations of food and drink, had to temporarily close its tea rooms in Bradford city centre, Keighley and Skipton.
Despite this, the owners have pushed the business forward by offering afternoon tea delivered directly to customers’ doors.
Cake’ole has re-branded its van to ‘Cakes on The Run’ and are busy catering for clients’ birthdays and special occasions.
The business is offering afternoon tea boxes which includes cakes, sandwiches, scones with jam and cream and sweet treats.
It has proven to be such a success, they have been fully booked.
Following strong demand for internet grocery shopping, Bradford speciality food supplier Delifresh has developed and launched and new online store which offers delivery slot bookings.
In the past, the wholesaler supplied top chefs and restaurants in the region but the increase in people’s desire to avoid contact in food stores and supermarkets has provided the business with an opportunity to reach a new market.
Delifresh is also safely delivering to care homes, sheltered housing and elderly and vulnerable people.
The company has also produced a series of ‘VEGECATION’ recipes and food infused ideas for children and shared them via their social media channels.
To date, Delifresh has taken over 15,000 orders.
Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw, Portfolio Holder for Regeneration, Planning and Transport, said: “This is a critical time for thousands of local businesses.
“Collectively we are committed to doing all we can to support businesses through the coming weeks and months but it is inspiring to see local people and businesses showing such strong resilience and innovation.“
Richard Wilson from Cake’ole, said: “When we closed it was important for us that our staff had jobs to come back to.
We decided to offer an afternoon tea delivery service so customers could order them for loved ones.
“Of course we are being careful to stick carefully to safe distancing guidelines.
“My faith in human kindness has been restored by reading some of the personalised messages our customers are sending to their loved ones on the boxes of afternoon tea.
“It’s lovely to see the human side of what’s normally only visible on special occasions!”
Head of Innovation Development for Delifresh, Robert Ramsden, said: “We saw what was happening in our local communities - empty shelves, panic buying and isolated people not getting access to the items they really needed so we decided to act fast and open our inventory to the public.
“All our produce is restaurant quality and fresh. The response so far has been amazing”.
Children and young people across the Bradford District can enjoy tennis at home during the coronavirus lockdown thanks to a major donation from the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), the national governing body for tennis in Britain.
The LTA has arranged for almost 5,000 rackets to be distributed to young people in low socio-economic groups across the country via StreetGames, its Official Charity Partner. Hundreds of these rackets are set to make their way to families across the region, with the support of Bradford Council, who has volunteered its services to distribute the rackets in collaboration with local community sports groups.
The move forms part of the LTA’sTennis at Homecampaign, developed in answer to a Government call to help keep the nation active during the current period of restrictions, and supports StreetGames’ #SportHelps campaign – a national effort to provide alternative ways for young people from disadvantaged communities to stay active at home in the absence of regular sports sessions.
The #SportHelps campaign - through partnerships with sporting organisations, community groups and businesses - is helping young people and their communities by providing resources, supplies, and advice to improve mental and physical wellbeing during the current pandemic.
In addition to the donated equipment, young people will receive specially developed guides on how to enjoy a range of fun, tennis-based activities from the comfort of their own home – not matter how little space they may have to exercise.
The activities and drills have been created as part of LTA Youth, a new programme developed to help grow the sport from the grassroots, providing fun, safe, inclusive and competitive activity that develops children as both players and people. The video serieshas already attracted hundreds of thousands of views, and has been endorsed by Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden.
Cllr Sarah Ferriby, Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Healthy People and Places, said: “This is a great donation from the LTA and we are aiming to share these packs with families who may not have this kind of play equipment at home. The packs will be distributed across the district from our central distribution hub in Bradford city centre.
“Hopefully, with the better weather, families can enjoy these packs in local parks and green spaces. We also encourage everyone to bactive, be healthy and have fun, despite these strange and difficult times.”
Julie Porter, LTA Chief Operating Officer, said: “We’re very pleased to be working with Street Games, as part of our vision to open tennis up to more people, by putting rackets in the hands of the young people they work with in Bradford through our Tennis at Home campaign and LTA Youth activities.
"This is a difficult time for us all, but potentially even more so for young people from disadvantaged communities, and so it’s more important than ever that everyone is given the opportunity to find enjoyable ways to stay active at home. It is great that we can help provide an outlet for those people who are currently not able to attend the sports sessions that are so vital to their physical and mental wellbeing.”
Mark Lawrie, Acting CEO of StreetGames said: “The current lockdown is hugely challenging for all of us, but especially for the children and young people StreetGames supports. Many families, especially those in disadvantaged communities, are facing weeks trapped in small living spaces without access to gardens or large green spaces.
"Our #SportHelps campaign is working to support children and young people through these testing times, by providing resources and support to brighten up their days and enjoy fun, physical activity no matter where they are.
"We’re delighted to have the support of the LTA in this mission. These rackets, and the brilliant video series the LTA have produced, will allow us to get thousands of individual young people up and moving at home.”
