Small business
Staycations are more popular than ever, and travellers have been flocking to this Shropshire yurt
Thriving in lockdown Smaller, family-run businesses have been finding ways to not only survive but thrive in lockdown Britain. Jess Unwin finds out more
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andemic-battling national lockdowns have put immense pressure on businesses, but while some have struggled, others have readjusted to stay in busy and even increase their activity. They’ve done so despite the restrictions on people and companies that saw the UK suffer its worst economic slump in three centuries. The challenges remain and to save jobs and help keep companies afloat, the furlough scheme will continue in 2021, as will government-backed Covid-19 loans, which by February this year had already provided £73 billion in much-needed support to 1.6 million businesses. One small business thriving despite recent lockdowns is Frankie Duckworth’s Kinton Escapes in the Shropshire
countryside close to the Welsh border, which provides unique accommodation in a yurt (The Kinton Cloud House), a wooden cabin (The Duck Hut) and a converted horsebox (The Kinton House Box). After the first national lockdown in 2020, the business re-opened and Frankie says she has never been busier: “People were desperate to get out and couldn’t go abroad. The accommodation is self-catering and of course I introduced the necessary enhanced cleaning regime – so it ticked all the boxes for the circumstances.” Running at 93% occupancy rate during four months in the summer and autumn, she recouped enough revenue to help her through the national lockdowns that followed. Frankie hasn’t wasted time during the periods when the
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