Visit Weston and COVID-19
20th March 2020
Categories: Latest News
January Lockdown in Weston-super-Mare (updated 12.01.21)
Along with the rest of England, Weston-super-Mare is in 'Lockdown'. All hospitality, leisure and non-essential retail businesses are closed. Only restaurants able to offer a takeaway collection or delivery service are able to operate during this time. All attractions including The Grand Pier, Weston Museum, and the arcades are closed.
North Somerset Council have taken the decision to close some seafront parking facilities due to low demand, please check before travelling if you need to use any of the seafront car parks. The 20p charge public toilets on the seafront, and the free toilet facilities in Sovereign Shopping Centre, will remain open.
Following the Government briefing on Monday 11th January, advice suggests travelling no more than 7 miles to take daily exercise, we urge you to consider your travelling distances when choosing to visit Weston-super-Mare for this purpose.
Case numbers of confirmed Covid infections in North Somerset continue to rise, and Weston General Hospital is treating Covid patients, however is still open for out-patients clinics by appointment, and services at Accident and Emergency are unchanged.
If you'd like advice about travelling to Weston-super-Mare, or are unsure about the restrictions, please contact our Virtual Visitor Information Centre on Facebook, by email: vic@wsm-tc.gov.uk or telephone 01934 888 877.
Take care and we'll see you soon!
Weston-super-Mare open for business (updated 26.08.20)
Vehicle Parking: Beach car parking is now open when tides and weather permit. There is no cash payment, for convenience please download the MiPermit app as detailed below or you can pay by card by calling the numbers on the parking machines, either way you will require your mobile phone. For sat nav to the beach, use BS23 1BE.
The Melrose Car Park has recently been fitted with height restriction barriers and is no longer available for campervans or high vehicles. These can be parked on Marine Parade or the beach using the postcode above.
It is not possible to pre-book parking spaces.
Weston-super-Mare is open for business (updated 15.07.20)
Please find a section-by-section update on businesses and facilities reopening in Weston-super-Mare
Car Parking and Public Toilets: All car parks and public toilets have been reopened, including those in the Sovereign Centre. Please remember that the seafront toilets operate with a 20 pence coin payment. Car parks remain cashless, with parking charges being overseen by online ticket purchases, or through the MiPermit app. The website can be found, here: https://secure.mipermit.com/root/Account/PayAndStayAdd.aspx
Accommodation: Many business owners have reopened to guests following the advice from Westminster for 4th July reopenings. Most are accredited with the 'Good to Go' approval that demonstrates their compliance to Covid-19 infection control. Most accommodation providers will have changes to their ordinary operating procedures, and so please check with their owners/management directly with any specific questions on changes to their services. If you would like to book any of the accommodation listed on our site, as before, please contact the businesses directly via their contact details provided on our site pages. You can navigate straight to our accommodation listings by clicking/tapping 'Accommodation' at the start of this section.
Visitor Attractions: Most of our local attractions have now reopened, with the necessary restrictions and safety practices in place, most are accredited with the 'Good to Go' approval that demonstrates their compliance to Covid-19 infection control. Those already open again includes The Grand Pier, the arcades, Funland and Crazy Golf. All childrens' playgrounds in Weston-super-Mare will be open by week commencing 20th July, this includes those overseen by Weston Town Council as well as North Somerset Council. Some indoor attractions including soft play centres and Clip 'n Climb are still preparing for their reopenings, with Clip 'n' Climb having announced their return on 25th July. Nearby attractions including Puxton Park Farm, Noah's Ark Zoo, Wookey Hole and Clevedon Pier have also reopened. Please make sure you've checked with the individual attractions' websites, social media pages or via telephone with any direct questions about your visit. There will be changes to their operations in most cases, e.g. maximum capacity numbers, mandatory pre-booking etc.
Restaurants, pubs, bars and cafes: Most venues have now reopened, adhering strictly to guidelines on social distancing, hygiene and changes to serving operations. Some venues have imposed maximum capacity rules, please remember this if on busier days, you are asked to come back later or wait for availability.
Visitor Information Centre: Our VIC remains closed at this time, please continue to use our website and social media for any questions you might have on the town, or contact us directly via telephone on 01934 888877, or for non-urgent enquiries, email: VIC@wsm-tc.gov.uk
Parking in Weston-super-Mare (updated 30.06.20)
North Somerset Council have now reopened all car parking in Weston, with the exception of Royal Sands (Uphill end of the beach) - however, we have been informed that this will be reviewed for 'over-flow' parking on busier days, when Marine Parade parking is at capacity.
However, motorists should be aware that all parking charges are being overseen by online ticket purchases, or through the MiPermit app. The website can be found, here: https://secure.mipermit.com/root/Account/PayAndStayAdd.aspx
Update on reopenings following latest Westminster announcements (published 24.06.20)
Many businesses and attractions have accounced their plans to reopen from 4th July 2020, these include hospitality businesses and accommodations providers, The Grand Pier, Puxton Park, Funland, Wookey Hole (11th July opening) and more. Please check organisations' own websites and social media pages for latest information. Attractions including Noah's Ark Zoo Farm, Wall Eden Adventure and Golf Courses are already operational following their temporary closures.
Update from Weston General Hospital (published 22.06.20)
We are now in a position to safely accept patients into the A&E department from today (Thursday 18 June 2020) following the temporary closure. This is the final step to re-open the hospital to new patients.
The A&E department is open between the usual hours of 8am-10pm every day. In addition, all clinics have restarted and the hospital continues to receive patients who, due to the temporary closure, were initially admitted to our neighbouring hospitals for their care and treatment.
Patients who have an appointment scheduled from today (Thursday 18 June 2020) onwards do not need to contact the hospital to confirm their appointment; they should attend their appointment as planned. We are continuing to contact patients whose appointment was cancelled during the temporary closure to reschedule their appointment.
Dr William Oldfield, medical director at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Ensuring the safety of patients and staff at the hospital remains our number one priority and this has been at the heart of our careful planning to re-open. If there were any concerns about the safety of our patients or staff we would not be taking this step.”
Key updates include:
A&E:
A&E at Weston General Hospital is now open again from 8am-10pm every day for emergencies. Non-emergency conditions can be treated in minor injuries units, such as those in Clevedon or Bridgwater, or NHS 111 can be contacted for advice.
Appointments:
Patients who have an appointment scheduled from today (Thursday 18 June 2020) onwards do not need to contact the hospital to confirm their appointment; they should attend their appointment as planned.
We are continuing to contact patients whose appointment was cancelled during the temporary closure to reschedule their appointment.
Face coverings:
Your safety is our primary concern and everyone coming to any of our hospitals is politely asked to wear a face covering and to follow hand-hygiene and social distancing guidance.
A reminder for visitors re: Seafront public toilets (published 15.06.20)
Many businesses along the seafront are operating with cashless trading and so will not be able to offer correct change or coins should you require them for using the public toilets. Queues from takeaway and retail services that are open, are also lengthy, therefore queueing up to simply receive correct change is not advisable.
Those currently open are operated by Healthmatic on behalf of North Somerset Council, and are indicated here:
These all are 20p coin payments, exclusively.
Local Attractions and reopening businesses (published 12.06.20)
We are engaging with local businesses and Visit Weston partners to support and promote their reopening as staff and owners feel able to do so. We are collaborating with the District Council as well as Visit Somerset over the best practices to adopt in order to offer our assistance in the most effective way.
The Visitor Information Centre (located at The Tropicana, Marine Parade, Weston-super-Mare, BS23 1BE) remains closed, however we are currently developing plans to update our outward-facing display screen with updates on imminent reopenings and those facilities that have already reopened with safety measures in place. If you are a local business and wish to request the support of Visit Weston for promotion or advertising measures, please contact the Tourism Marketing Officer by email: emma.williams@wsm-tc.gov.uk to discuss ways that we can help. We look forward to being able to welcome visitors and customers to all local businesses as soon as is feasible.
Latest update from North Somerset Council (published 04.06.20)
Analysis of all North Somerset case data and contact tracing work since the beginning of May has shown there is no current evidence of increased risk in the local population connected to the coronavirus outbreak at Weston General Hospital.
Public Health England has completed an initial review of cases in North Somerset – in the hospital, other settings including care homes and among the wider population who are accessing public test centres. The initial review has concluded the recent spike in cases in North Somerset is associated with the increases reported by the hospital. Cases in care homes and the wider community appear to be in line with other areas.
There's no room for complacency - this report describes a moment in time in the pattern of infection, so we'll remain vigilant in watching how the virus progresses. Please continue to follow national advice about how to prevent the spread of coronavirus:
🏡 Stay home as much as possible
💼 Work from home if you can
❗ Limit contact with others
↔ Keep 2 metres apart from people you don’t live with
🖐 Wash your hands regularly, for 20 seconds with soap and water
⚠ Self-isolate if you, or your household, has symptoms and get tested
ℹ️ Read their statement in full at https://bit.ly/NorthSomersetCV19
Contacting us during this time (published 01.06.20)
Please be aware that our team of three staff have been working from home since March, and our Visitor Information Centre and its seasonal staff have not returned for the summer season in 2020. Our availability for answering telephone enquiries is limited to between 9:00am and 3:00pm through the week, subject to availability. We have been inundated with phonecalls asking for information on the town and what is open to the public, and unfortunately we cannot provide a 24/7 service for these calls with such limited numbers of staff.
The team can be contacted on our usual Visitor Information Centre number (01934 888877) which is diverted to the mobile phones of staff working from their homes. Facebook Messenger requests and emails can be sent at any time and will be answered as quickly as possibly. You can email the team on vic@wsm-tc.gov.uk or send us a message on Facebook here, https://www.facebook.com/visitweston/ using the 'Send Message' button, there are also some FAQs pre-loaded on that platform for automatic responses.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
A polite reminder (published 30.05.20)
Visitors to Weston-super-Mare,
This sort of behaviour is never acceptable. Not now, not ever. If you do choose to visit Weston's beaches and open spaces, please leave our environment just as you found it. If bins are full, please take your rubbish home and dispose of it responsibly and safely. We can say with some certainty that residents don't disrespect our beaches in this way, please follow their example and show some love for Weston, the way we do.
Thank you.
Latest update on developments in Weston-super-Mare (published 26.05.20)
Yesterday (25th May 2020) Weston General Hospital announced it was closing temporarily to new admissions, this includes the Accident and Emergency Department. A statement from the hospital reads:
Weston General Hospital will temporarily stop accepting new patients, including into its A&E department, as of 8am today (Monday 25 May 2020).
This is a precautionary measure in order to maintain the safety of staff and patients in response to the high number of patients with Coronavirus in the hospital.
The decision to take this step has been clinically-led, and is supported by partners across the wider Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) health and care system.
Arrangements are in place for new patients to continue to have access to treatment and care in other appropriate healthcare settings in the area should they need it.
Dr William Oldfield, medical director at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust, said: “As with any hospital, the number of patients with COVID-19 will frequently change as people are admitted and discharged.
“We currently have a high number of patients with COVID-19 in Weston General Hospital. Whilst the vast majority will have come into the hospital with COVID-19, as an extra precaution we have taken the proactive step to temporarily stop accepting new patients to maintain patient and staff safety.
“This is a clinically-led decision and we are being supported by our system partners to ensure that new patients receive the care and treatment they need in the appropriate setting, and we are continuing to provide high quality care to existing patients who are being treated in the hospital.
“We have a robust Coronavirus testing programme in place for patients and staff to identify cases quickly, with appropriate measures taken by clinical teams as required.
“We will keep the situation under constant review.”
This considered, we feel it is necessary to reiterate our message that it is unwise to visit Weston-super-Mare at this present time. It would be irresponsible of us as an organisation to encourage visitors to the town when there are very limited medical services available should anybody in the town be taken seriously ill, or be injured during their visit.
Updates following Government-issued alterations to lockdown restrictions (published 18.05.20)
Following last week's changes to restrictions in England, we have received many enquiries from individuals wishing to visit Weston-super-Mare as part of their daily exercise without previous limitations. Whilst this is technically now permitted by the Government, we as an organsation, along with North Somerset Council, the town's local authority, are both asking that people still do not visit Weston-super-Mare yet.
North Somerset Council have reopened the public car parking at Melrose car park and Knightstone Causeway along with some seafront public toilets - where it has been deemed safe to do so. However no attractions have reopened, including the Grand Pier. Local businesses around the seafront, including the concessions have been empowered to reopen at their own discretion, but most have chosen not to. Refreshment and catering businesses can only reopen if they are able to operate as a takeway with all social distancing guildlines observed.
The dog ban on the beach from 1st May has been enforced by North Somerset Council, meaning dogs are not permitted to be on Weston beach between the Grand Pier and Royal Sands.
Latest updates from NSC are able to be found on their Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/northsomersetcouncil/
If you do choose to visit Weston-super-Mare please observe 2m social distancing guildelines at all times and consider allowing more time before visiting Weston, when we can reopen fully and you'll enjoy your visit so much more.
Currently (as of weekend figures reported in national media) the 'R-rate' in the South West is the second highest in England. Please consider this information when planning your visits and journeys.
Assistance services for vulnerable and elderly residents in Weston-super-Mare (updated 14.04.20)
Visit Weston, as part of Weston-super-Mare Town Council are working to support the 'North Somerset Together' initiative established by North Somerset Council. The scheme has been set up to offer help and support to residents in the town that are unable to leave home easily to access essential help including grocery shopping and medication.
The help services are provided through an official volunteer-led team called 'Weston-super-Mare Helping People'. All volunteers are DBS checked to guarantee consistency of service quality and safety. If you are able to volunteer your time to this service, you can by filling out the volunteer sign-up form online, which asks a few questions surrounding your availability and the sort of assistance you are able to offer i.e. deliveries, shopping etc. You can sign up to this scheme here: https://forms.gle/uvE2iHCsj7psLSp56
If you or someone you care for, is in need of help and assistance being offered by the team, please contact the helpline to register your needs on: 01934 427437 or email together@n-somerset.gov.uk.
A message from the Visit Weston team (updated 24.03.20)
I’m sure you’ll agree that this week has been an unsettling time; it seems that every day we find ourselves asking more and more questions about how our lives are going to be over the coming weeks. That considered, the team at Visit Weston-super-Mare want to do as much as we can to reassure you.
Visit Weston takes the wellbeing of our team, Visit Weston Members, residents and visitors very seriously and are taking some additional steps to protect and support our team as well as ensure the smooth and consistent running of our website and social media presence during this challenging time.
Many of our visitor attractions and hospitality businesses are now closed following advice and ruling from the Government. Our partners Wookey Hole, Clip 'n Climb, The Grand Pier and Court Farm closed on 20th March until further notice. All pubs are closed and many restaurants including Bistrot Pierre will also no longer be trading. Some food and drink outlets have been able to diversify or continue their business by altering or limiting their facilities. Please check with individual businesses if you're unsure. Many of our accommodation providers have also temporarily closed, this applies to large hotels such as The Royal Grosvenor as well as camping and caravan sites like Dulhorn Farm.
All playgrounds are closed, please do not try to access the play equipment, this action has been taken as a safety measure. The open spaces of parks are still open for exercise, but please ensure all social distancing advice is followed. All Weston-super-Mare Town Council ran public toilets, are also closed during this time.
The winter closure of our Visitor Information Centre has been extended indefinitely, however as team we remain contactable by email and phone in order to ensure the continuity of the service. You can find out how to get in touch here, or message us directly via social media - just search for Visit Weston on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
We understand that it’s disappointing to have plans cancelled, especially those things we’ve been looking forward to, like holidays and days out, but there’ll be endless opportunities to enjoy Weston-super-Mare at its best when the time is right; and we can’t wait for it either. Unfortunately, as so many people have been unable or unwilling to follow guidelines on social distancing (staying two metres apart and not gathering in large crowds) we must ask that people do not visit Weston-super-Mare from out of the area, during this time. We appreciate that it is very important for all of us to have opportunity to leave our homes for fresh air and exercise, but this is not safe for the residents of Weston-super-Mare to do that, if the town, beaches and seafront are busier than usual with people choosing Weston to do the same.
Following an announcement by the Prime Minsiter on 23rd March, all non-essential travel is banned (with exceptions including shopping for essentials and a session of exercise) Many more outdoor spaces - including parks, are now closed with many more businesses and retailers now ordered to close. These restrictions will be in place for at least three weeks from Tuesday 24th March. The official advice from Westminster is that the majority of people should now STAY AT HOME.
Instead of travelling to Weston, you must now spend your outdoor time, closer to home. As a tourism service, we find it difficult to ask people to stay away - that being the very opposite of our usual message, but it would be negligent and irresponsible of us to encourage you to come and enjoy all the Weston has to offer, at this present time. Instead we will try and bring all the fun of the seaside to you.
So, how will we do that? Well… We’ll do as much as we can given our circumstances; we’ll share pictures of glorious Weston – our beaches, our sunsets, our attractions, all the brilliant things that we love about Weston-super-Mare. We’ll share blogs and stories, we could even run some interactive fun stuff like quizzes and games. And if you have ideas of content you’d like us to try and put together, by all means let us know!
In the meantime, we want to wish everybody all the very best, urging you all to say safe and look after each other. Keep watching this space, and we’ll do our utmost to bring the sea, sand and sunshine of super Weston to you.
