Think of Hurst High Street this Christmas

By Kate Jackman, Charlotte Wilson and Lucy Bennett.

These are worrying times for our local High Street. Although the entrepreneurs behind many small businesses are an adaptable bunch, the lockdown in November came as just another sucker punch on top of several blows in recent years. Many traders are struggling to survive - and we wonder how many more empty units we’ll see before the pandemic is through.

With people across the country re-assessing how they live their lives, we asked traders and customers alike how they see the future for the High Street - and why it’s so vital for villages like Hurstpierpoint.

Why is a thriving High Street important to the village?

Our High Street is often cited as a reason why people move to Hurstpierpoint - you only have to look at local estate agent listings boasting of a ‘bustling High Street’ to see what a draw it is. The High Street isn’t just a row of shops, it’s the hub of the community. It’s where neighbours and friends bump into each other of a morning. It’s vital for social cohesion and it’s where the community comes together on a daily basis.

Not only that but our local shops offer familiarity, advice and often a bespoke service that you just can’t get at bigger retailers. It’s not just about money for them. They know us and our families. We are their friends. Shopping on the High Street is a pleasure rather than a chore.

Independent retailers can play a really important part in building local communities and lockdown has really shown us how much a part of the local community the High Street is.

Why should we use the local shops?

Several traders we spoke to agreed that we need to get across the message that many of them are on the brink. Traders are doing what they can to adapt - but they need our help. Put starkly, if we don’t use them, we’ll lose them. They ask that rather than jumping in our cars to drive to a supermarket, we think twice and consider whether we could shop locally instead. Yes, the price might be a bit higher because local shops can’t buy in the quantity that large shops can, but you gain in other ways by being part of a local community and getting to know the shopkeepers.

From a sustainable point of view, shopping locally also saves on needless packaging and car journeys. Many of our local shops offer plastic free packaging and a choice of fresher, locally made or sourced products.

Find out the answers to more High Street questions like ‘How has 2020 been for the High Street?’, ‘In addition to COVID, what other problems do traders face?’ and ‘What does the future hold for High Street Retail?’ in the December issue of Hurst Life.

For now, why not check out our list of local traders, suppliers and producers and their online links so you can continue to support them over the crucial Christmas trading period: https://www.facebook.com/hurstrethink

Cinema ‘not dead yet’!

Hurst Village Cinema

By David Saitch

The death of cinema has been predicted on many occasions; the invention of television was to be the first nail in its coffin; VCR signed its death warrant; HD Blu-ray and home cinema equipment would surely see cinema consigned to a cold, dark grave; streaming was the final executioner that would put cinema out of its misery. But, in all cases, rather like Mark Twain, the death of cinema has been greatly exaggerated. Cinema has survived all these threats along with wars and plagues of the past. The threat that was identified in the End of Cinema column last month was the closing of the theatrical window; that is, the period where films can only be shown in cinemas before being released for home viewing. Would you bother to go and see a film at the cinema if it was already available for home viewing, was the question posed, and the assumed answer was ‘No’. But, interestingly, we do have some evidence on this. Curzon Cinemas has been operating a streaming service for a number of years, where they release films on to their streaming platform on the same day that they release it in cinemas, but, crucially, this doesn’t seem to have affected audience numbers. Curzon cinema screenings are still full. I use Curzon Home Cinema and I am very fortunate to have an excellent home cinema set up, but I am still more likely to go to see the films at the cinema. Watching films exclusively on my home cinema over the last six months has shown me, if I didn’t know already, that going to the cinema is about more than just seeing the film, it is about the complete experience of going out, socialising, watching a film on the biggest screen possible and with the best sound, as a collective experience with an audience, as it is meant to be seen, without those dreaded words ‘Can you pause it while I go to the loo’. Home cinema will always be there to watch those films I didn’t manage to see at the cinema or to rewatch films. Yes, with the ever expanding plethora of streaming services, it is likely that viewing habits will change over the coming years, but the ‘end of cinema’? I wouldn’t bet on it.

First published in September’s Hurst Life magazine.