Coronavirus: Riverside Hub owners' emotional video as they "press pause on happy days out"

"It is with a heavy heart but a clear conscience that we have closed the doors"
The popular Riverside Hub is closed "for the time being"The popular Riverside Hub is closed "for the time being"
The popular Riverside Hub is closed "for the time being"

Owners of Riverside Hub kids play area posted an emotional video after closing their doors "with a heavy heart but a clear conscience" last night (Wednesday March 18).

Ellis and Valentyna Potter put up the shutters on the Northampton business following the Government's decision to close schools nationwide and advice on social distancing in a bid to slow down the spread of coronavirus.

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Valentyna said: "It is indeed a very sad day. For now we have to press the pause on happy days out and work more as a united country to see us through these hard times.

"We cannot put a time on when it will be safe for all of us to start socialising happily again but that time will come.

"Thank you to hard working staff and visitors who have supported us during six years of the Hub being open.

"But this is not a goodbye, just pressing a pause on being open to general public. We hope to keep busy behind closed doors and keep improving, developing and carrying on projects to make sure we can come back to an even better and brighter Hub."

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Ellis Potter added: "It is with a heavy heart but a clear conscience that we have closed the doors for the time being.

"We don't feel it would be approproiate at the moment to be welcoming visitors with the Government guidelines on social distancing.

"There will be a bright horizon and we will all get through this if we pull together.

"Meanwhile, we are currently racking our brains to see what we can do as a business to help out those in need at this time and to find a way to be useful during this closure period."

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The Prime Minister's announcement came as Northampton General Hospital revealed a 92-year-old man had become the second recorded death in the county.

Craig Ruston, who had motor-neurone disease, died in Kettering General Hospital earlier this week. The 45-year-old is the UK's youngest to die after testing positive for the Covid-19 bug