Dear Valued Customers,

How are you doing? We truly hope that you and your loved ones are keeping safe and well during these testing times.

Since we took the decision to temporarily cease trading on March 24th the world has changed immeasurably, as has our knowledge of what we are dealing with and how long we may have to do so. Thank you for your patience. You can be assured that during this time, we have been working hard to ensure that when it is safe for us to re-open we will do so only when we can ensure the safety of both staff and customers.

From the outset, we have taken what we believe have been responsible decisions with the information we have had available to us at the time and we remain fully committed to Government guidelines on staying home to reduce the spread of Covid-19 protecting the NHS and Keyworkers, to all of whom we send our profound thanks and gratitude for all that you are doing to get us all through the Coronavirus crisis.

In line with Government advice and after speaking with our staff team, we are confident that we can operate our warehouse safely, so from today, we will be re-opening our website to trade. However, we are going to look a little different……and here's why:

As we adjust to our socially distanced workspace and new safety measures it may take us a little longer to pack your parcel. We are really excited to receive your orders, however, we encourage you to order only what you need.

Returns and exchanges are being accepted but please expect delays due to staffing and safety requirements. We really appreciate your patience and don't forget we are always on hand for e-mail advice – please get in touch and ask us questions to make sure you get the item that is right for you.

Those of you who live overseas and wish to place an order will have to wait a little longer as we are only shipping within the United Kingdom for now.

As we said at the beginning of this seismic shift in our reality - our shop doors have been open to climbers, hillwalkers, runners and mountaineers since 1959. Now, more than ever, are fiercely proud to continue the hard work of our founders Frank Davies and Joe Brown and welcome you through our social media portals to share memories, kit stories – even Easter Egg hunts because the reality still remains: the outbreak and spread of Covid-19 is a shared experience.

Thank you so much to everyone who has been in touch. We really appreciate the messages of support you have shared with us, especially those of sympathy at the recent passing of Joe Brown. It's been an emotional time for all of us, in particular our Director Gill, who has been a close family friend for the past thirty years. There are details below of how we would like to create a lasting memory of the shops for Joe's family and we very much look forward to you getting involved. Many of you also asked how you can best support us during this time? We humbly ask that you might consider buying a gift voucher for future adventures, perhaps you have a school, group or D of E budget to spend or simply share our story among friends.

We still can't believe we're saying this but enjoying the extreme outdoor environment is not a priority right now and we have no wish to be seen to encourage it. Please continue to heed all government advice and join us in putting our lives on hold for a short time to help save the lives of others.

In the meantime, nature is booming, footpaths are recovering and the natural world, that we will return to, will be even more beautiful than we remembered.

Stay safe, stay home, be kind and thank you.

Paul & Cathy Casey, Gill Barnicott and all of The Climbers Shop and Joe Brown staff team