Some of you may have seen the spread in The Times recently of RJ Balson and Sons, Britain's oldest butchers that calls Bridport home - it managed to reach someone in America.

Richard Balson states he has enjoyed his best trading year yet, despite the coronavirus pandemic. The 505-year-old business has also survived a plague, two world wars and flooding.

He said: "Luckily, we have been healthy and managed to stay open and were abiding by all these guidelines, and we're making our customers feel safe. It's all about keeping your staff and customers safe and they feel comfortable shopping here because we're abiding by the rules.

"We only let two people in the shop at a time.

"Lots of people come in and buy a lot of stuff, not just for the week but for the month. They are trying to follow the rules themselves and you only see them once a month rather than once a week.

"We've been lucky we've been able to stay open."

The shop had a "fantastic" Christmas and Balson's partnership with WhatsApp did particularly well.

He has also welcomed new customers since the pandemic began, with many turning to high streets rather than supermarkets for their shopping.

Richard added: "We have a lady who comes and waits for me to open at 7am, she started coming here when the pandemic started last March, and because she has felt comfortable coming in here, she has kept coming. Now we have a bit of banter.

"People want a good shopping experience. People that don't see anyone want a chat sometimes, you might be the only person they see that day - it means a lot."

Balson's is open from 7am to 3pm, Monday to Saturday, when as well as buying a selection of meat and more, you can also pick up a copy of Richard's book, '500 Years Behind the Block'.

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