Do you remember the war time posters – Your country needs you? My 82 Dad has one pinned up in the kitchen at his home. It’s rather apt given we are now feeling we are fighting an invisible war with Covid.
People are battling, some directly with the disease, others with the knock on effect it has is having with their mental health, cancellation of non-essential surgey and for some, more pressing serious treatments.
Many people having been affected with their businesses, they are under immense pressure and the battle for survival is on.
Small businesses stand at the heart of our communities. They are in towns, cities and villages. Some operate from business parks, others from their homes. They can be anybody including florists, pubs, cafes, printing companies, food outlets, gift shops and hotels. Without them our communities will change, the place we live and call home will feel different. This why they need your help, and they need it now.
Many of our small businesses played a vital part in supporting our communities during the pandemic offering to shop people, changing what they do and how they do it. I’m sure many of us can re-call Peter Wood, partner of Tiffany from Renes of Lancaster creating PPE and selling it for cost and lots for free. He mobilised an army of bike couriers to send his face visors across the UK and gave other companies his design for free.
I read yesterday that a recent survey shows that 59% of local people support local business more now than they did pre-covid. This has to be really good news. What we need you to do know is show that support.
It could be on a Saturday night you have a resturant meal but takeaway style ( we did this with a 3-course meal last weekend). You could order a Sunday Roast for click and collect (this is most Sundays now for me and it saves on the washing up!). You could treat yourself to an afternoon tea – complete with scones (this is on the list to do!).
Shop local for your Christmas presents. Lots of our local shops have a great selection of gifts for all price budgets. Call them – many will deliver, others have click and collect.
The biggest thing I learnt last week was around 8pm on Tuesday evening. I wanted fish and chips for tea. The chippy was closed so I decided to order salmon fish cakes from our local wine bar. Whilst waiting for it cook, I went for a walk around the town. A florist had a beautiful faux ochid display in her window. The lights were on and I could see her in the back making a bunch of flowers. I knocked on the window to ask how much. As I paid for it she couldn’t stop thanking me. It was the biggest sale of her day and as eyes filled up she said we had just made her day.
Small Local Business are our lifeblood. Please support them. Next Saturday is Small Business Saturday. They need your help then. But they also need your help everyday! If we all help each other – between us we can survive this.
Thanks for reading
Michelle x