With 50 shops empty or changing hands in Stratford town centre, the Herald looks at what the story is behind each unit
| Updated: 14:17, 03 April 2021
Special report: Changing face of the high street (45798332)
Fears for the UKâs high streets continue as the pandemic takes its toll on the economy.
In central Stratford more than 50 retail and hospitality outlets are currently empty or seeing a change of hands or use. Covid has conspired with other threats, such as online and out of town shopping, to bring the situation to a crisis point. More bad news came as the Herald went to press when the town heard it was not going to receive funding under the governmentâs High Street Task Force scheme, despite being fourth hardest hit local economy in the country.
Unveiled: Stratford-on-Sea plans to bring back tourists
| Updated: 14:29, 01 April 2021
AMBITIOUS plans to attract tourists to Stratford can be revealed by the
Herald today.
On the back of calls to bring visitors back to the area after the pandemic, plus the return of the big wheel to the Rec, a new company has been set up to bring a touch of the tourist attraction to Stratford.
A spokesman for the company, Stratford On Sea, said: There s precious little in the area at the moment to encourage people to visit, and the success of the big wheel has proved that there s a real market for good old-fashioned entertainment, so we ve got a stack of ideas we d like to put into action.
Man charged after alleged burglaries in Stratford
| Updated: 09:58, 01 April 2021
Daniel Carter, 37, of Yardley Road, Birmingham has been charged with two counts of burglary, assaulting an emergency worker and possession of an offensive weapon following an incident in Stratford on Monday, 22nd March.
Carter was arrested following alleged break ins at two flats in Clopton Road. It is also alleged he threatened an off duty police officer with a needle as he tried to detain him.
He was charged following an investigation by the Prisoner Processing Team.
Carter appeared at Coventry Magistratesâ Court on Friday (26th March) where he was remanded to appear at Warwick Crown Court on 29th April.
Birmingham Stage Company Best of Barmy Britain heads out on a covid-compliant car park tour
| Updated: 08:00, 17 March 2021
Birmingham Stage Company Best of Barmy Britain heads out on a covid-compliant car park tour next month. Gill Sutherland spoke to writer and director Neal Foster, who stars in the show.
How is it performing in car parks?
Itâs weird and wonderful to be performing in car parks and to see the audience having fun behind their windshields. We toured it last summer and that was a huge success, we are over the moon to be back on tour - we canât wait to get back out there.
Warwick Folk Festival returns this summer
| Updated: 07:58, 16 March 2021
Playing it safe is the watchword from Warwickâs biggest festival as organisers plan the return of live music in the open air. The townâs folk festival - running this year from 15th to 18th July - brings people from all over the UK to the area. Last yearâs gathering fell victim to the pandemic but festival bosses are determined to go ahead this time round.
Seth Lakeman (45183985)
The governmentâs schedule for a staged lifting of all the social distancing rules has a target of seeing the country fully out of all restrictions of 21st June. This âearliest possibleâ date falls three weeks before the festival is set to welcome folk fans to its new site in the shadow of Warwick Castle.