Falmouth's Member of Parliament Cherilyn Mackrory has welcomed £609,000 funding from the Government for Cornwall from the new Welcome Back Fund.

As the nation looks forward to life beginning to return to normal, with people making plans for domestic holidays and days out with friends, the Communities Secretary announced a comprehensive package of support to help kickstart local economies and businesses and give people reassurance they can shop and socialise safely.

A new £56 million Welcome Back Fund will help councils boost tourism, improve green spaces and provide more outdoor seating areas, markets and food stall pop-ups – giving people safer options to reunite with friends and relatives.

Part of this funding will be allocated specifically to support coastal areas, with funding going to all coastal resorts across England to safely welcome holidaymakers in the coming months.

Cherilyn said:

"I am pleased to see Cornwall allocated an additional £100,000 for the fund to support coastal areas.

"I look forward to seeing the funding drawn down and will work with Cornwall Council to ensure Truro and Falmouth gets our share of this money."

The funding can also be used by councils to:

• Boost the look and feel of their high streets by investing in street planting, parks, green spaces and seating areas to make high streets as beautiful and welcoming as possible.

• Run publicity campaigns and prepare to hold events like street markets and festivals to support local businesses.

• Install signage and floor markings to encourage social distancing and safety.

• Improve high streets and town centres by planting flowers or removing graffiti.

Cherilyn added:

"I am also really pleased to see that to make sure that businesses can make the most of the summer, businesses such as pubs and restaurants, including where these premises are in listed buildings, will be allowed to use their land more flexibly to set up marquees and provide more outdoor space for diners as restrictions ease, allowing them to serve more customers and recover from the effects of the pandemic.

"The Government has also said that these can be kept up for the whole summer rather than the 28 days currently permitted.

"This is all really good news for pubs and restaurants across Truro and Falmouth who I know will be seeking to make the most out of what I hope will be a busy summer season once restrictions ease."

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