AN Irvine bridal shop owner is calling for more to be done to help the wedding industry during the pandemic.

Kirsty Grant, of Dream Brides, is asking couples to join her in signing an online letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson asking him to act.

Kirsty explained: “For the wedding industry there is no clear plan of what is happening, no clues as to when we can re-open and it’s worrying

“There are 60,000 businesses and 400,000 workers relying on the wedding sector which worth an average of £14.7 billion to the UK economy each year.

“But we don’t have any clarity about when we can host weddings, at fully distanced capacity as a minimum or at outdoor settings and without that cancellations are increasing and the ability for wedding businesses to survive is diminishing.

“Yet, we are being kept in the dark and that is why we ask the Prime Minister what about weddings and I have asked supporters of the boutique to log on and support this letter.”

The boutique in High Street suffered a blow in January when a pipe burst but Kirsty and her team are determined to have their renovations ready in time for when Boris gives them the go ahead to open.

She said: “It’s been tough for everyone in our sector, as well as the businesses fighting for survival and of course, the couples who are having to postpone their big day again and again.

“And when we had the burst pipe last month it felt like a real blow,.

“We were in the middle of giving Dream Brides a makeover. I was worried people would see the

mess of our shop and think we were closing as it looks like a construction site

but we are getting there, taking each day at a time.

“We just want answers and some clear answers to when we can open our doors again.”