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Closed till further notice. Going to use the time to make leather bags etc for our return. Good luck to all of you, hope we all get through this safely.

You can tell Apecs that they lost an order of 500 plus cylinders .

Hi Will. There is a award winning Cobblers firm in Manchester called Timpsons . Give them a try.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-employers-and-businesses-about-covid-19/covid-19-support-for-businesses

I know a lot of shoe repairers are self employed and worried but I am convinced the Government will find a solution it's in their best interest to it's just how so hang in there and look after yourselves without the mental pressure you may feel not knowing: Posted at 17:3317:33 25.03.2020 Johnson: More tricky to help self-employed Boris Johnson again faces pressure to do something to help the self-employed. The PM says the government has “moved with extraordinary speed to support and prop up the whole of the economy of this country, putting our arms around workers of all kinds to the best extent we possibly can”. He admits it was “easiest” to help employees and more “tricky” to work out a package for the self-employed. “But that has been done at incredible speed,” adds the PM, promising that Chancellor Rishi Sunak will make an announcement on the plan tomorrow. He adds: “I don't think there has been a time in our history in the last century that a government of this country has put its arms around so many people to get through such a tough time.” Mr Johnson concludes the press conference saying: “We will beat this and we will beat this together, and we will do it by protecting our NHS and staying at home. That is how we will save lives."

This is the info sent to councils, gives you an idea of the info they will be needing plus confirms amounts https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/874772/small-business-grant-fund-and-retail-guidance.pdf small-business-grant-fund-and-retail-guidance.pdf

Did you not see the video this week that soldiers would be on the streets of London by 5pm on Friday. Never happened. Social media is so full of bull shitters with nothing better to do than spread gossip and rumours at the minute. Everyone is worried but life goes on, i have decided to stay open but me and my employee will work alternate days so we are not working together. Gloves on all the time, wipe every surface/machine/till/card machine first thing and during the day. Keep distance between customers wherever possible. No more than 2 customers in the shop at any time if we can. Hope everyone stays safe and this virus disapears as quickly as it appeared.

We're keeping our head above water at the moment, but very worrying long term. I wish all you independents the very best. Make sure you get all the help your entitled to, & hang in there, dont throw the towel in... we are British we fight on. Good luck everyone x

So I still hadn't heard anything from my local council about the business rates grant, and they didn't have anything on their website. A mate of mine that owns a cafe along from me rang and gave me the number for my councils covid19 business support line. I rang them to be told I wasn't on the list he had, but gave me the email address of the people dealing with it, and to email them with my info (business name, address, rates account number etc.). Within 5 minutes I had an email from them with the form that needs to be returned and a covering letter with all the info, filled in and emailed back instantly. My suggestion if you haven't heard anything is to find the covid19 business support number on your local council website and ring up looking for info. This should get the ball rolling. Good Luck, hope this helps!

Boris is to address the nation at 20:30 looks likely all shops apart from chemists, food stores & supermarkets to shut and possible lockdown to be applied

Just a heads up The Ministry of Defence have been told to be on standby for complete UK lockdown as of Saturday evening at 6pm... No one is to leave their home's unless you work in Front Line Retail or the NHS... I heard this directly from my neighbour Trigger who is best friends with a guy called Boycey. Boycey knows a guy named Del who drinks down the pub with his uncle Albert. Albert was in the Navy during the war so knows his stuff. Please pass it on.

Some more announcements Chancellor Rishi Sunak says the government will step in to help pay people's wages through a coronavirus job retention scheme. Read more here Businesses can apply for a grant of up to £2,500 a month to cover 80% of salary for those retained but not working He also says VAT for all businesses is being deferred until the end of June and the business loan scheme will now be interest free for 12 months Universal Credit allowance increases £1,000 a year and the next tax self assessments will be deferred until the start of next year He also announces the self-employed will get full Universal Credit at a rate equivalent to statutory sick pay, and a further £1bn to cover 30% of house rental costs Mr Sunak promises further measures next week to ensure larger and medium sized businesses will be able to access the credit they need Cafes, pubs, bars and restaurants across the UK have been told to close on Friday night and not reopen - although they can offer takeaway services. Read more here Nightclubs, theatres, cinemas and gyms have also been told to shut their doors Prime Minister Boris Johnson says people should not go out on Friday night to such venues. He says people should stay at home "to protect the NHS and save lives" He also rules out shutting down major transport networks, saying it's "too important for the delivery of crucial public services"

Well the world has changed for ever the last few weeks and no one knows where this will take us but one thing is certain small businesses are going to suffer. Fortunately HM Government are now considering this a war like economic state and many help packages are announced daily. The biggies I have noticed are those in receipt of Small Business Rate Relief will be eligible for a grant from their local council (who the rates would be paid to) of £10000 and you don't need to claim your council will contact you. This package also includes help for those that pay rates (at the moment England only but Wales/Scotland set to match) - Providing £20 billion of business rates support and grant funding to help the most-affected firms manage their cashflow through this period by: - giving all retail, hospitality and leisure businesses in England a 100% business rates holiday for the next 12 months - increasing grants to small businesses eligible for Small Business Rate Relief from £3,000 to £10,000 - providing further £25,000 grants to retail, hospitality and leisure businesses operating from smaller premises, with a rateable value over £15,000 and below £51,000 In addition funds are to be available as guaranteed loans for businesses with a 6 month interest free period, the ins and outs of this I am exploring and will update, how to claim and if you can pay back after 6 months are there penalties etc etc. WE ARE ALL IN THE SAME POSITION WITH THIS. IF YOU ARE WORRIED TALK TO SOMEONE PERHAPS YOUR ACCOUNTANT, A COLLEAGUE OR DROP US A LINE info@somsr.com if we can help we will. https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-uk-offers-330-billion-loans-to-businesses-to-survive-crisis-2020-3 If you are unsure of your rateable value use this search https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/business-rates-find/search?_ga=2.185976681.1128529960.1584709100-2119947897.1584709100

Can't find where I read it now but it's not assured by the look of it just wait for your council to contact you ALTHOUGH I have just found this which makes me feel a little better perhaps it is a flat £10000 but will take up to a month to come through (May) Q. How do I know if my business is eligible for the £10,000 grant? A.You are eligible if you are registered for Business Rates and are in receipt of the Small Business Rates Relief or Rural Relief. Small Business Rates Relief applies to premises with a rateable value of less than £15,000. Therefore, if you are a small business operating from premises with a rateable value of less than £15,000 you will receive the £10,000 in due course.

problem is people don't need their shoes mended if they are staying indoors, key cut if they don't go out

Almost finished bag.

If it’s had a non rechargeable 3v put in it the chances are it’s over heated through being charged and buggered the watch anyway, so you’ll be potentially investing in a capacitor that won’t work. personally I’d never fit a battery in a rechargeable watch because it’s so unstable and will generate a lot of heat, you burn your customer and they’ll not be interested in “just stick a 3v in it” when it comes to court.

Easy entrie - we do them, £5 each blank made. Post me and returned within a couple of days

Pepper spray. Rick.

Just an update on this key for future reference. Wj1R goes in but too short for this key. AP-4D fitted perfectly the length was spot on. I cut 2 , one leveled up from the tip and the other leveled up from the shoulder , both worked without any problems. Thanks again Graham and nathandealey.

So it looks highly likely me and the Wife have actually got the Corona virus and it's bloody awful. Had to get paramedics out to the wife yesterday she could not breathe very well and her complete body is in so much pain she was crying most of the day. I have had normal flu symptoms but with severe lower back pain (thought it was my kidneys haveing problems) and really blinding headaches The paramedics have no testing gear even though my wife is a District nurse and they said if here breathing gets worse to call 999 so far today her breathing is better. Today we have lost all sense of taste and smell so we believe we are 99% certain we have the virus, i believe we picked it up on the plane back from Egypt 3 weeks ago as there was an elderly male sat to my left who coughed non stop all the way though the flight home, but the wife did carry out CPR on an elderly cancer patient in a Nursing home and she thinks this is more likely the source. It leaves you with no energy, loss of appetite and even the thought of eating becomes a chore (might lose some weight with a bit of luck). Breathing for me has been ok but the headaches are immense and some of the worst we have both ever had. We have been really lucky we self isolated at the right time and have not come into contact with anyone else other than our Son who seems perfectly ok at the minute. So please stay safe, wash your hands and look after yourself, i did mention weeks ago i wanted to get the virus to get it out of the way and in that respect i am pleased we have but suffering as we have i think i would now give that thought the elbow and prefer not to have had it. There is still the possibility we could just have normal flu but this is by far the worst i have ever felt in my Adult life.

I've been asked to cut this key by a local NHS consultant... it's for an on call room. As multiple doctors will be using the room they need 8 keys. Obviously this will be done FOC if I can do it. Does anyone know the blank? Cheers

Looks like one of the Yale master blanks would cover it

No but it looks like the suppliers details have been removed.

We are doing the same i have the strange idea of the company not surviving rather than the people that make it suffer, i believe is nothing changes and we have no income we will survive 5 months with the announcements so far

I hope they are,otherwise the letters from local authorities promising us 10k will not materialise for weeks if at all.

I believe you will receive £25000 from latest

It's all up in the air. Self-employed are most at risk, I have lost 99% of my business (mainly trophies and engraving to sports clubs and schools) but am eligible for the small business grant that will keep me open hopefully for the next 3 months. But as said, supermarkets are employing, aid is there for sick pay for self employed, and most will feel the pinch. We just need the population to stay at home and minimise the length of time this runs for. Tough times for all. Good Luck

Hope you can come through this Michael, it's tough for everybody at the moment.

I would never give money to a stranger in the shop. I would of said tell your wife to buy a ticket online for you. I get no end of people trying to sell cloths at inflated prices, never heard of before charities asking for donations, they all get a polite no thankyou bye. Would Tesco give him £15 ?

Is it not possible that he was telling the truth? might just be acting strange because it’s not a normal situation for him

I’ve been looking at Italy and noticed tonight that whilst shops have been ordered to close, you can still order online. so my thinking is presumably Vans are still running deliveries so if the UK was to follow suit, I may be able to sell my services online and offer a door step collection and delivery and work either from home or behind closed doors?

we had a delivery yesterday - one box and sold all this morning NONE left I've just ordered another 200 - might have later today - where are you based?

Feel like the whole world is on my shoulders, feel a bit helpless, so many worries, then voice in my head is screaming.. " AND YOU'RE GOING TO RUN OUT OF RABBIT FOOD BEFORE THE LOCKDOWN!!"

well, i really thought this would blow over - except the shops around me are reducing hours for staff and looks set to go to half days., ok hold on tight this ride is getting rockier

from this side, maybe ... Silca CE2X

Good stuff. I watch a lot of youtube, but don't make videos. Thinking of getting into it down the line, but for the moment the ease of insta is more convenient. I'm sure corporate are enjoying the free advertisment/content, but have you considered like if hypothetically you channel gains traction and you decide to strike out on your own business venture - would they claim that they own the content produced on their working time?

Cole Hersee

Not according to Steve Hick my SKS rep who i asked 2-3 weeks ago.

Speak with your rep they should bring one to your shop for a demo

I think it's too early to see an increase due to the Virus, however, across the next 6 months or so, as the Virus takes a hold and peoples habits change, I think our trade may benefit

Had same problem, we had to do this - stainless over sized and as customer had shopped everywhere was more than happy To solve this way - was quite a few years ago

Rekord plus is now sold and a donation has been made to the Jimmy Mizen Fund Rekord 2000 is still for sale.

I have done a few of these using Silca IT1 or equivalent. My till has one of those locks on it to test.

https://www.aliexpress.com/i/32932384476.html Quality unknown.

remove the black part of the strap that is still in place ,there is probably some screws under there will probably be a rechargeable battery if it is solar powered

So for those like me, self-employed, one man band and not a limited company where do we stand? Apart from the £10k rate payment, which, if Graham's right, will probably be too late, I'm not entitled to anything, maybe universal credit of £95 per week which is nowhere near the wage I've been taking. Is this correct, I'm not good at this type of stuff, gonna speak to my accountant Monday!!

I'm not knocking your ambition but so many have tried similar schemes before, some with shoes, many with locksmiths - 'I promise 5 million pounds a week' - well it is slow to start, I cannot pay you as I have not been paid, that's the last you see of your money and stock. I know of 5 such locksmiths schemes in the last 40 years. You would need a large lump of cash to start, pay for the repairs on delivery, and know what a good repair is Good luck

Hey folks Just a wee heads up, as italy is in lock down. I have noticed aldridge has run out already on some blanks and running low on common blanks if you do a lot of office furniture. Steven OS Keys