Small firms urged to join initiative

LOUGHBOROUGH MP Nicky Morgan and the Loughborough Chamber of Trade and Commerce have jointly launched a competition urging small businesses to get into the festive spirit by decorating their shop windows in the run up to Christmas.

The competition, which will be judged on Small Business Saturday - which is Saturday, December 2 - and encourages independent businesses to use their windows as an advertisement not just for themselves but also to attract visitors into Loughborough and its surrounding villages. The shop judged to have the best dressed Christmas window will be presented with a trophy, sponsored by the Chamber of Trade and Commerce, but perhaps more importantly businesses taking part are urged to share their creative displays across social media to maximise local and national exposure.

Mrs Morgan said: “Small businesses are the lifeblood of our communities, they’re the backbone of our high streets, they are in no small way what makes our towns and villages distinctive.

“Having town and village centres full of attractive store fronts will undoubtedly not only have a positive effect on footfall but also contribute to the reputation of our area increasingly becoming a destination location for shoppers.”

Helen Horner of Loughborough Chamber of Trade and Commerce said: “Small Business Saturday has been running for five years and is a brilliant opportunity for local traders to get exposure and increase their awareness.

“We are delighted to be promoting this competition and when a business has signed up we will be giving them advice on how to get the most out of the competition on social media.”

Any business wishing to register for the competition is urged to email the Loughborough Chamber of Trade and Commerce at admin@ loughboroughchamber.co.uk