Traders in Shrewsbury are being given the chance to have their own doorstep photographs taken to celebrate reopening following the coronavirus lockdown.
Photographs of families on their doorsteps during lockdown have proved to be hugely popular, and now Shrewsbury BID has commissioned local photographer, Birgitta Zoutman, to take a series of pictures in the town centre.
Funding for the initiative is being provided by the Shrewsbury Recovery Taskforce, made up of Shropshire Council, Shrewsbury Town Council and Shrewsbury BID, which is coordinating work to get the town centre back up and running again following the lockdown.
Emma Molyneux, of Shrewsbury BID, said: “We all saw Birgitta’s photographs of families on their doorsteps on social media and thought it would be great to do the same for business owners too.
“Birgitta will be taking pictures of business owners, managers and staff outside their premises – a lovely way to celebrate opening again after such a hard few months.
“Photographs are being subsidised to make them affordable for businesses. The cost for BID members is £5, and it’s £15 for non BID members.
“Businesses will have access to the photos to use as they wish and we will share them on the Original Shrewsbury website and through our social media channels.”
Oberon in Wyle Cop was one of the first businesses to get involved in the project, and owner, Stacey Hill, said she jumped at the opportunity.
“2020 will live long in the memory and I thought it was important to commemorate reopening,” she said.
“After such a strange few months it does feel like a fresh start, so having a fantastic photograph taken by such a talented photographer is a great way of marking the moment.”
Another business owner to have their doorstep photograph taken was fellow Wyle Cop trader, Jonathan Soden of The Soden Collection.
Jonathan said: “As the owner of an art gallery, you might expect that I was very interested to get involved as soon as I heard about the project.
“I am really looking forward to seeing the results and I think capturing this moment in Shrewsbury’s history is a valuable thing to do.”
To order a photograph, go to the Shrewsbury BID website or visit https://shrewsburybid.typeform.com/to/O6OWpn
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