Let’s promote our local businesses

Is there more we could be doing to promote local businesses as we come out of the pandemic?

Over the past 18 months I’ve been impressed by the number of initiatives local towns have undertaken to support vulnerable residents and promote small businesses.

Frome has a dedicated website at shopfrome.co.uk, as does Wells at wellshighstreet.com. Trowbridge Town Council has a Discover Trowbridge webpage promoting entertainment, shopping and activities.

In Shepton Mallet the shop local campaign is promoted on Facebook @Sheptonmalletshoplocal, so it’s clear that there are a number of ways communities can come together to promote local businesses and events.

These towns are all near neighbours to Midsomer Norton, so isn’t it time we followed their lead?

Couldn’t the Town Council and Chamber of Commerce get together and develop a website or Facebook page that promotes what’s going on in our town and supports our local businesses?

One idea that I’ve not seen trialled is a resident’s voucher book, where businesses provide deals in the form of a voucher, collected together in a booklet and distributed to households throughout the town. Surely this is the sort of initiative we can all get behind and something that can bring us closer together as a community?

Perhaps other readers might like to share their thoughts on how we can support our community coming out of this pandemic?

Nigel Walker Midsomer Norton