Business is far from booming, but in South End Green on a wet weekend in October, shopkeepers and restaurant staff were doing their bit to help daily life feel normal despite the threat of a second wave of Covid-19.

%image(15169591, type="article-full", alt="A faded "ghost sign" for the London North East Railway above the shops opposite Hampstead Heath Overground. Picture: Polly Hancock")

From the much-loved Italian restaurant Mimmo La Bufala to Daunt Books, Ham&High photographer Polly Hancock caught familiar faces in full flow.

The South End Green Streatery has helped restaurants make the most of the late summer and early autumn.

The business-owners in this leafy corner of Hampstead have worked hard to keep afloat during the pandemic – and with the Royal Free Hospital yards away, we can be sure hospital staff will have been pleased to see these smiling traders too.

%image(15169593, type="article-full", alt="The Energy Garden, which is behind the eastbound platform of Hampstead Heath Overground Station. Picture: Polly Hancock")

%image(15169595, type="article-full", alt="Jake Reynolds, a supervisor at the Garden Gate pub, on a wet day for the establishment's beer garden. Picture: Polly Hancock")

%image(15169597, type="article-full", alt="Alex and Sasha from South End Green's Karma Bread. Picture: Polly Hancock")

%image(15169599, type="article-full", alt="Staff at the much-loved Giocabazzi deli in South End Green. From left: Jacob, Nathanial, Maria and Roberto. Picture: Polly Hancock")

%image(15169601, type="article-full", alt="Top pizza chef Joseph in the zone at Mimmo La Bufala in South End Green. Picture: Polly Hancock")

%image(15169603, type="article-full", alt="Daunt bookshop in South End Green is a sought-after spot for any book-lover. Picture: Polly Hancock")