One of the most eye-catching local independent shops on St Mary Street in Stamford closes its doors for the final time this afternoon.
It was the first shop Katie Cardew opened, and was funded after the business had a boom in online orders during lockdown. Katie's Oakham shop and headquarters of her illustration business will shut its doors on Mill Street in a couple of weeks time, as Katie concentrates on her interior design business after 11 years as an illustrator. Katie says it's been a big part of her identity, her life, and that of her family, and she'll miss it hugely.
"Opening the shops was amazing, lockdown, Covid was awful in many respects, but for the business it was a great success in terms of people buying online, and we used that money that we generated from lockdown to open the Stamford shop and then subsequently moved to our big Oakham offices and shop and then Lincoln, so that was really good. I mean Chelsea Flower Show was mad, we still talk about it, it was one show, but it was a huge one for us and it was mad and we met so many celebrities and we had so many customers, thousands and thousands of sales and it was just a mental 10 days. I think another big thing was doing this and having two children. I didn't take maternity leave, which I don't advocate for particularly, but that's what I did. And this business meant a lot to me back then. And I got back to work and I loved having the babies and being able to run a business and being busy. And yeah, my kids have grown up knowing this business inside out and that would be quite sad. And they know me as an illustrator."
South Kesteven District Council is holding two workshops next month, including one in Stamford, which will help shape the council's view on Artificial Intelligence.
Ten personnel from RAF Wittering are taking part in a test of endurance and stamina this morning to raise money for CALM, a leading suicide prevention charity.
Restrictions continue at Rutland's tips at Cottesmore and North Luffenham as they're unable to take household waste until further notice, and now any upholstered furniture.
Fire and Rescue services that cover the Rutland and Stamford area are continuing to urge locals to look after the countryside and not use any sources of ignition.
Well over 13,000 visitors are expected at the Rutland Showground over the next three days for the second annual Rutland Flower Show, which promises to build even further on last year's successful first event.
The leader of Rutland County Council's Conservative opposition got cross-party support last night for her motions to ask the council to quiz the government on why they decided to join Rutland with all the Leicestershire districts in local government reorganisation and to seek a written assurance of Rutland ceremonial county status.
Police arrest two teenagers over assault in Oakham
Weekend sports round up
