THE PHRASE 'Britain is a nation of shopkeepers' - erroneously attributed to Napoleon - was originally supposed to be an insult. But instead of being outraged we Britons have taken the saying to our hearts.

Shopping is the number one leisure activity in this country but in the past couple of months our love of 'retail therapy' has been severely curtailed.

But from today our high streets are reopening - non-essential retailers have introduced safety and social distancing measures and are ready for our return.

Businesses have been working hard to be ready to welcome back customers, implementing a whole host of safety measures to enable people to feel safe and confident about venturing out.

Of course, the shopping experience will be very different to that we are used to.

You might not be able to try on clothes, if you handle a book it will have to be removed from the shelves for 72 hours and instead of bustling restaurants there will be socially distanced dining zones.

It might seem strange at first but, having spent nearly three months in lockdown, we cannot afford to drop our guard.

Reports of a new outbreak in China over the weekend are a timely reminder that the dangers of a second wave of coronavirus are ever present.

The changes to our shopping experience might be with us for a short time - or we might have to put up with them for years. Either way, we are sure people will soon get used to the new way of doing things.

That's why were have launched a new campaign to help our retail sector get back on its feet. It's not alarmist to say the future of our city centre depends on how well our businesses are supported over the coming weeks and months.

That's why we are asking you to support your local traders - and give them a chance to make you fall back in love with local shopping.