Businesses which need to reconfigure their spaces to comply with social distancing regulations are being supported by design experts.

Staff at Ghyll House Upholstery and Design at Mealsgate have returned to work at their headquarters to help businesses transform their spaces in time for when they can reopen.

Cafes, bars, hotels, gyms, hairdressers, beauty salons, medical centres and schools have all already been in touch with Ghyll House general manager Joe McAlpine who is helping businesses redesign their spaces.

Redesigns are focused on helping businesses reopen when lockdown eases in a way which gives staff and customers full confidence in the safety measures adopted.

Joe said: “Booths, where families and friends can sit in groups of four people or more, are one aspect of a redesign which are attracting a lot of interest.

“We work best where the customer shares with us details of the space and the issues they have, including how the flow of people will work in that space given the social distancing regulations, and then we redesign the space for them to meet their requirements.

“We might also find that we are able to recover much of the furniture with an anti-bacterial easy-to-sanitise material, which will meet all the safety requirements.

“We’ve been very recovering seating in bars, headboards in hotels, and equipment in gyms with antibacterial material.”

Ghyll House’s base has been fitted with sanitisation stations and social distancing regulations are enforced. Joe said: “It has been great getting back into our offices this week and focusing on helping businesses to adapt so they can welcome back customers.”