A £320,000 fund is being put aside to help East End traders recover from the effects of Covid-19.
Those which rely on passing trade are getting help from Tower Hamlets Council to get back on their feet.
The fund was launched by Cllr Motin Uz-Zaman on June 25 when he called in to meet Fatima Targa for a sit-down outside her Targa Green café along Tredegar Road in Bow.
“Small businesses are the backbone of our communities,” Cllr Uz-Zaman said. “It’s vital that we help them rebuild after the hardship of lockdowns.”
The money will be used on schemes and events to help businesses set up Covid-safe Continental-style outdoor dining spaces, for example, and improve their online presence including "click and collect” deliveries.
Tower Hamlets is also giving advice to help unemployed people develop ideas and set up businesses in street markets where the number of stalls fell sharply during the pandemic.
A programme of summer events in Whitechapel and Bethnal Green is also planned to help trade through cultural organisations such as Whitechapel Gallery, Four Corners Gallery, Toynbee Hall and Oxford House settlements and the Brady Centre’s Swadhinata Trust.
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