Salisbury Mayor Caroline Corbin said it was "time to rebuild connections" weakened during the pandemic as she opened the first post-lockdown showcase held by a community network.

Yesterday, the mayor attended the Safer and Supportive Salisbury (SaSS) Showcase in the Guildhall.

The event was for local services and projects to showcase the support available to the community as it recovers from long periods of lockdown.

For some visitors it was the first time they had left their homes in months.

Safe and Supportive Salisbury is a not for profit network aiming to make Salisbury "a safe, supportive and inclusive community".

It promotes health and wellbeing and is made up of individual volunteers and representatives of local community groups and charities.

Caroline Corbin said to open the event: "It is important that we have these events to showcase what groups are available as we get out and about, following on from 15 months or more of being locked down and not having the usual interactions.

"It's become apparent how much we rely on volunteers to support our residents, particularly those who have no family or live with a disability.

"Now is the time to rebuild connections and all of these stalls show us what is going on locally. Thank you for coming."

Wiltshire Council Leader Cllr, Richard Clewer, said: "It's really good to be at an event to see the social fabric of the city starting up again.

"The number one priority for Wiltshire Council is supporting our high streets. They have got to be about an awful lot more moving forward: they have got to be about entertainment, events, culture and people coming together.

"This is just the sort of structure and the sort of groups that we desperately need, so thank you for being here, I hope it's a success."

For more information on the network, visit safersalisbury.org.uk

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