More restrictions are being lifted across the 海角视频 on Monday, May 17, as part of the next stage of the Prime Minister's roadmap out of lockdown.
It is good news for the hospitality sector, including pubs and restaurants, which will be allowed to reopen indoors. Venues will not have to serve a substantial meal with alcoholic drinks and there won't be a curfew either. Customers will, however, still have to order, eat and drink while seated.
All remaining outdoor entertainment will also reopen and some larger events will be able to take place, including conferences, concert performances and sports events. Hotels will also be able to open up again to guests.
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Rules around meeting other people outdoors will be eased but gatherings of more than 30 people will still be illegal. The rule of six, or two households, will remain for indoor settings.
As businesses prepare to reopen, we have spoken to different types of venues - from a theatre, to a bowling alley to a zoo - about opening up and how things might be a little different.
The Theatre
Theatre Royal Plymouth
The Theatre Royal Plymouth will be reopening on May 27 with its first show being the 海角视频 premier of Rambert’s Draw From Within.
Social distancing restrictions will still be in place, however, with ticket bookings still limited to household groups/support bubbles.
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The theatre will not be issuing physical tickets. An e-ticket will be emailed prior to the performance and theatregoers will need to show this to the front of house team on arrival on a digital device, or as a physical print-out.
But tickets are already being sold for a forthcoming programme which includes major shows in the main Lyric auditorium.
These include Hairspray, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Welsh National Opera and Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures, with School of Rock already pencilled in for 2022.
The theatre described ticket sales as “steady” and is predicting demand to increase as lockdown restrictions are eased.
Adrian Vinken, who is stepping down as chief executive, said in December 2020 the theatre attracted “good-sized” audiences to the three Christmas shows it was allowed to stage before the 海角视频 was pitched into a third national lockdown.
A theatre spokesperson said: “Ticket bookings are steady, which is a really positive sign. And with each easing of restrictions we are seeing further confidence in people booking tickets
“We cannot wait to welcome people back to TRP, we have had such overwhelming support over the last year and people are sharing with us how excited they are to be back with us when we reopen.”
The Bingo Hall
Don’t miss
Mecca Bingo - Plymouth
The Mecca Bingo in Devonport, Plymouth, is reopening on May 17 after a tough year for the leisure sector.
In its 60th anniversary year, Mecca Bingo is welcoming customers safely back into clubs in England, Scotland and Wales.
Nigel Green, general manager at Mecca Bingo, in Fore Street, Devonport, said: “We’re incredibly excited to welcome people back.
"We’re a friendly face in the community, that’s a really unique part of our brand and heritage, we know and love our customers very much and we’ve very active in the area when it comes to community initiatives.
"We’ve really missed being a part of people’s day to day lives so May 17 can’t come soon enough.
"And this year as it’s our big birthday, we’re coming back in style with more to offer than ever. We’re expecting this to be the year of bingo.”
The entertainment centre did reopen last July with Covid measures in place, but had to close again like many other ventures.
Mecca said its unique combination of being a community brand, alongside new ways to play and win in store, will see them bounce back after a difficult year.
A recent survey conducted by Mecca Bingo revealed that people were primarily looking to make up for a year of missed socialising and want a safe place to meet up that also offers value for money.
Mecca continues to employ extensive safety measures. The large and spacious bingo halls and lounges provide a safe and reassuring way to socialise and the added bonus of different session times throughout the day means that there are not necessarily the busy bottle neck periods that can occur in other leisure or hospitality venues.
A recent addition to the schedule to further support this is hourly bingo with new games starting every hour, bringing increased flexibility to the daily line up.
The Restaurant
Pink Moon Cafe and Bar, Exeter
City centre cocktail bar and cafe Pink Moon decided to delay opening until May 17 because it is short on outside space but it plans to open with a bang.
Amelia Pike, marketing manager said that people are very happy to be out and about again.
She said: “Bookings are flying at the moment, we are pretty much fully booked on our first weekend back. I think people are very ready to not sit in the rain anymore.”
The Queen Street bar called on Exeter Chiefs’ Jack Nowell, Olly Woodburn, Dave Ewers, Don Armand, Jacques Vermeulan and Elvis Taione to help them re-launch for the summer.
They have a series of events planned starting with its ‘Social-Disco’ party on Monday May 17 and a drag cabaret night on June 11.
Amelia said: “We are putting on lots of events that are in line with the current precautions. We still want people to have lots of fun and enjoy themselves after a long, winter lockdown, which has been challenging for lots of people. So people can expect feel-good events throughout the whole summer to look forward to.”
She said that tables will remain in the socially distanced positions they were in prior to lockdown with fewer customers at any one time. Staff will all be wearing PPE and there will be staggered bookings to ensure there’s not lots of people waiting in the same place.
The Casino
Grosvenor Casinos
After more than four months of temporary closure due to lockdown, Grosvenor Casinos, which has sites in Plymouth and Bristol, will be reopening from Monday May 17.
Carl Hoogwerf, General Manager at Grosvenor Casino Plymouth, said: “We’ve been counting down the days to reopening. It has been a challenging time for all our team members, but we can finally look forward to reuniting again and getting back to doing what we love.”
Customers will register at reception and there will be regular cleaning of tables, chips and machines.
The casino will make screens available for customers to use on gaming tables and electronic machines. There will also be restrictions on the number of people who can play games at any one time to ensure social distancing guidelines are adhered to.
Monika Borska, General Manager at Grosvenor Casino Bristol, added: “We have been working hard to put in place robust health and safety measures, and when we reopen in line with government guidance, we will deliver a fun yet safe experience all of our guests and team members to enjoy.”
Grosvenor Casino will continue to accept cash and will encourage customers to use contactless payment, where possible. There will be safety shields at all tills to protect both team members and customers, and face masks will be worn throughout.
The Cinema
Watershed, Bristol
The independent cinema and creative technology centre is reopening on Tuesday, May 18.
The venue’s café and bar will re-open on Tuesday, while the cinema programme starts on Wednesday when Undershed, the new outdoor bar on the Harbourside, will also open.
Visitors are being asked to book a table in advance for the café and bar, but the venue said walk-ins are also available if there is space.
Clare Reddington, Watershed chief executive said: "We are all so excited to reopen the building and welcome staff, audiences, partners and friends back.
“Togetherness sits at the heart of everything we do, and whilst we have been very busy over the last year, having an open and welcoming building plays a huge part in our value.
"We have learnt loads from working online and are committed to exploring blended ways to keep reaching audiences in the ways that work best for them, but for now - if you can, come on in, try out Undershed, our glorious outside space, and let's hope we are open for a while!"
The cinema programme includes some of 2021’s award-winning films including Nomadland, Minari, Judas and the Black Messiah and Sound of Metal.
Mark Cosgrove, Watershed’s cinema curator said it was great to be “reminded of the excitement and pleasure” of seeing films back on the big screen.
He said: “We have a lot of exciting screenings, festivals and events for audiences coming up over the next few months.”
The Bowling Alley
Lane7, Bristol
A boutique bowling alley is opening on Bristol’s harbourside on Monday, May 17.
The Bristol venue is the first in the south of England and follows success for Lane7 in the north of the country.
The new 700-capacity space, created during the most recent lockdown, will be the ninth to open in the 海角视频.
The venue will include tenpin bowling lanes, darts, pool, beer pong, and shuffleboards, as well as interactive experiences such as quizzes, bingo, DJ sets, bottomless brunches, acoustic singers and after-work socials.
Tim Wilks, founder of Lane7, said: “Bristol is independent, rebellious and unique - just like Lane7.
“I think it’s my disruptive business mentality that connects with the culture I've experienced in Bristol, and ultimately why I instinctively knew this was the place to open my next location.”
Lane7 was founded in 2013 when Mr Wilks transformed a warehouse in Newcastle into an upmarket bowling alley and alternative late-night venue.
The new branch is located on Millennium Promenade, just off of Millennium Square, in a unit formerly home to Latin-inspired restaurant The Cuban.
Burger Theory will be occupying one of two pop-up kitchens at the venue, serving a full menu with all of their classics, including vegetarian and vegan options. The second kitchen will be occupied by Sesame Kitchen, serving Asian tapas.
The Hotel
The Queensberry, Bath
The Georgian townhouse hotel, right in the heart of Bath, is reopening after an “extremely challenging” 15 months.
Laurence Beere, the Queensberry’s owner, said Bath was already seeing “very good demand for weekends and midweek” stays, but there had been little interest from corporate travellers so far in 2021.
“The West Country is seeing very good demand throughout the next few months and into the remainder of the year,” he said.
“In Bath this is true with very good demand for weekends and midweek demand also beginning to build.”
The Queensberry, which has Bath’s only Michelin-star restaurant - Olive Tree - has three AA Rosette status.
Ahead of reopening, the hotel has carried out a complete Covid-19 risk assessment and its menus will be single use or accessible online.
Mr Beere added: “Going further forward, we believe the Government needs to invest greater support in the tourism economy with significant investment in Visit Britain and the Regional DMO structure so that when we have brought Covid under control globally we can present the 海角视频on a global platform so that we regain our position as one of the leading tourism destinations in the world.”
The Museum
The Box, Plymouth
Plymouth’s new £47m cultural attraction The Box reopens from May 17 – with more than 4,000 tickets already booked.
The Box, described as the 海角视频’s “most significant cultural development of 2020”, has already welcomed more than 30,000 visitors even though it opened in the middle of the global coronavirus pandemic and had to close during three national lockdowns.
It will reopen to school parties on May 17 and to the general public the day after that, with bookings to view the exhibits described as “steady”.
There are restrictions in place, however, and a spokesperson said: “Like other visitor attractions across the country, the safety measures and pre-booking that we put in place last year will remain until the Government confirms the end of social distancing.”
The Box therefore has a number of safety and social distancing measures in place to help visitors feel as comfortable as possible. These include:
- An easy-to-follow booking system for all visitors via its website.
- Reduced capacity and clearly marked one-way systems throughout its buildings.
- Increased invigilation by staff and volunteers at key points throughout its buildings.
- Hand sanitising facilities.
- Enhanced cleaning and waste disposal.
A spokesperson said: “The Box is very popular with schools and their schools programme is currently fully booked until the end of the Summer term with the first school group attending on Monday 17.
“From now until schools break up there will be four schools and one nursery group attending the book each week, with 20 different workshops all relating to the curriculum on offer.
“The Box will be reopening to the public on Tuesday, May 18. Booking numbers have been very steady, with over 4,000 tickets already booked.”
The Shopping Quarter
Wapping Wharf, Bristol
In recent weeks Bristol’s harbourside neighbourhood Wapping Wharf has been welcoming some new independent businesses to units in its retail hub Cargo, which is made up of a series of converted shipping containers, including record shop Longwell Records and Hawaaiian food takeaway Loke Poke.
Longwell Records is set to open its new outlet in Cargo at the end of the month, but a whole host of the hub’s 40 other boutiques, eateries and indoor activity businesses are set to reopen fully or for the first time on Monday.
Elevate Yoga Studio + Creative Space, which has been offering virtual sessions during lockdown, will begin holding fitness classes from its ventilated and air-purified studio.
Eateries in and around Cargo, including Indian restaurant Bandook will also be welcoming its customers inside to dine from May 17 onwards.
Stuart Hatton, managing director at Umberslade, the developer behind Wapping Wharf, said: "It's been wonderful welcoming people back to the neighbourhood over the last few weeks and we are very much looking forward to seeing more businesses reopen and indoor dining able to resume from next week.
“We thank everyone for the incredible support they have shown Wapping Wharf's independent businesses so far and their collaboration in ensuring that the area is a safe and enjoyable place for everyone."
The Outdoor Activity
English Holiday Cruises
Offering cruises along the River Severn and day trips around the Cotswolds countryside, Gloucester Docks-based English Holiday Cruises has a packed schedule as it sets to take to the waters again on Monday.
After what managing director Jay Clements described as an “exceptionally tough” time during the pandemic, during which the family-run business was forced to cancel more than half of its normal summer season last year and a month and half of cruising this year, it has seen a rising wave of demand for its services.
English Holiday Cruises now has 95% occupancy already booked on most trips up until October, with 2021 set to be the first time in the 17 years that the Clements family has been running the business that they will have sold out a whole season before it has begun - with 30% of trips for 2022 already booked.
Mr Clements puts the increase of demand down to customers being keen to put a break in the diary and not wanting to miss out, with many more British people set to holiday in the 海角视频 this year.
Mr Clements said: "While I don't think our customer demographic has necessarily changed, their habits of when they book have, spurred on by not wanting to miss out due to the general demand of staycations being so high, because no age group was allowed to travel internationally."
Ahead of the return voyage of the business' boat the Edward Elgar on Monday, Mr Clements said: “We’re really optimistic and just looking forward to getting going. We successfully operated for 11 weeks last year without any cases of Covid at all and of course that was pre-vaccine. It’s just a question of getting out there and going back to doing what we do.”
The aquarium
National Marine Aquarium, Plymouth
Britain’s largest aquarium will be reopening from May 17 – but with visitor numbers limited to 1,000 a day.
The National Marine Aquarium (NMA), in Plymouth, will reopen with restrictions in place, including visitors wearing face coverings and observing social distancing.
Visitors will also need to book in advance on line, but management are hoping to have all restrictions removed after June 21.
Chief executive Roger Maslin said: “As before, everyone needs to book in advance on line, so we can control the number of people in the building during our 10am-5pm opening hours.
“We will be limiting our numbers to circa 1,000 per day to begin with, hoping to remove all restrictions by June 21.
“We will continue to operate under our Customer’s Charter, which sets out our responsibilities and what we expect of our visitors,” he added. “As per the last lockdown and reopening periods, we expect a slow start with a gradual increase, as people get comfortable with visiting places. Hopefully, this will be quicker, given the vaccine roll-out.”
In 2020 it was revealed that the NMA, run by the Ocean Conservation Trust charity, had lost more than £1m during the first coronavirus lockdown.
It has to spend up to £10,000 a day to keep the attraction, and its 5,000 sea creatures, in tip-top shape.
Even its education programme, which sees 30,000 children a year come through its doors and take part in curriculum based lessons, had to stop.
Mr Maslin said: “We will have been closed for nine months with restricted open for five months in the last 14.”
The zoo
Dartmoor Zoological Park, Sparkwell
Ben Mee and the team at Dartmoor Zoological Park reopened to the public on April 12 after months of closure - but lockdown rules dictated indoor activities had to remain closed.
These included the zoo's popular Reptile and Bug House and the Jaguar Restaurant, though it was able to offer take-away services.
But the easing of restrictions means indoors exhibits and the restaurant can reopen from May 17 - while visitors will also be able to see the new African Aviary and new mixed exhibits, first unveiled just days ago.
After being forced to close when the 海角视频 went into its first lockdown in March 2020, the zoo issued an appeal to help it survive.
Owner Ben Mee said the lockdown had been a "huge adjustment" for the zoo and with no one coming through the gates, the team needed to raise at least £11,500 each week to make up for lost revenue.
The people of Plymouth and Dartmoor came together to keep the zoo going - while kind-hearted youngster Josh White climbed the stairs in his house 3,400 times, raising more than £19,000 himself.
Getting the park ready to reopen has been a "long haul" but the Dartmoor Zoo team are proud of the Covid-19 safety measures they have in place.
As well as an easy-to-follow one-way system throughout the park, the team has brought in additional handwashing facilities and sanitiser stations and further social-distancing measures.
There is also a maximum capacity for the park and arrival times are staggered, while visitors are asked to wear face coverings when visiting the shop, restaurant or toilets.
All tickets must be booked online in advance prior to visiting.
The spa resort
St Michaels Resort, Falmouth
The beachside resort was able to open some of its spa and health club facilities on April 12 and are getting set for the full season opening on Monday, welcoming overnight guests and offering sauna and steam room facilities for the first time this year.
St Michaels Resort Director Louise Uys-Jones said: “We are incredibly lucky and humbled to say that the business on our books is looking amazing. We knew that Cornwall would be a hotspot post lockdown for obvious reasons, but the response has been overwhelming in terms of forward bookings. It is great that we can at this point (all things staying well!) say our season is going to extend far into October and we are already taking Christmas bookings and beyond too.
“We believe Cornwall will be a “go to” holiday spot for a quite a few years to come.”
She said that the resort is expanding its Beach Residences for self-catering holidays and retreats. She said that the team have revised some services but the aim is to provide a respite for guests.
The shopping centre and leisure complex
Drake Circus Shopping Centre and The Barcode, Plymouth
Plymouth’s £53m The Barcode leisure complex will unlock on May 17 with its restaurants opening for inside meals and its Cineworld multiplex screening movies two days later.
The 海角视频’s largest cinema chain has announced that film fans will be able to return from May 19, and it has a line-up of new releases including Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway.
It has also made some changes to its membership fees, with it now costing £9.99 per month to enjoy unlimited 2D movies as well as discounts on cinema snacks and drinks.
Cineworld closed all its 127 venues in October 2020, before the third national lockdown was ordered, when it said there weren’t enough new movies for audiences to enjoy.
Meanwhile, The Barcode restaurants Nando’s, Five Guys, Zizzi and new addition BrewDog, will be reopening indoor dining on May 17.
Those businesses have been offering socially-distanced outdoor dining as well as click-and-collect, takeaway or delivery options.
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Visitors will also be able to enjoy playing a round at Paradise Island Adventure Golf, on the Bretonside ground floor of the complex.
Meanwhile, restaurants at the neighbouring Drake Circus Shopping Centre will also open from May 17.
Both the Barcode and Drake Circus mall are owned by property giant British Land and the shopping centre will continue to have its one-way “keep right” system, hand sanitising stations and enhanced cleaning regimes in place. All visitors must continue to wear a face covering indoors unless exempt for medical reasons.