Businesses back call to Think, Shop, Buy Local

Dozens of independent traders have backed the calls for Shropshire residents to Think, Shop, Buy Local and give the economy a major Christmas present.

Firms across the county, from Much Wenlock to Whitchurch and Ellesmere to Clun, have backed our campaign to give businesses in the county a £4 million boost before the year is out.

If every adult resident of the county spends just £3.80 a week in the run up to Christmas, it would secure that multi-million boost after a tough year for traders.

Dawn and Richard Edwards of Covent Garden, Oswestry

The campaign has been backed by Richard and Dawn Edwards, owners of Covent Garden Fruit & Veg in Oswestry.

The couple have been at the helm for a year and want Shropshire residents to Think, Shop, Buy Local in the run up to Christmas and beyond.

They have been open throughout the pandemic, delivering fruit and vegetable parcels to customers at home and supporting other traders with their drop-offs too.

Rich, who has been a grocer all his life, said:

“We are so proud to have been here all year, helping customers who have been unable to go out, and meeting new friends too.

“I want to thank all the girls in the shop who have been absolutely incredible and haven’t missed a single day throughout. They are like a family to myself and Dawn and we can’t thank them enough. This year has been hard for local businesses and I urge you all to shop local this Christmas and help us bounce back.”

Rich said that at the start of lockdown in March he gave staff the option of staying at home and receiving 100 per cent of their wage, but they all agreed to work on.

He said:

“We were at a bit of a crossroads, so we all had a chat and decided we would start delivering to customers – and in the end we started helping out a local butcher and they helped us and it worked out brilliant.

“The spirit among the local businesses in Oswestry is magnificent and we are very proud to be a part of it.

“It has been like Christmas Eve in Oswestry every day this past week since the second lockdown ended and people really are heeding the message to Think, Shop, Buy Local.”

Another business to back the campaign is Life of Riley Pet Bakery & Boutique, run by Sarah Meredith in the north of the county.

She opened Life of Riley Pet Bakery & Boutique after her pooch Riley fell ill in 2018.

Sarah Meredith and Riley of Life of Riley Pet Bakery & Boutique

Finding out that he had food intolerances, she took it upon herself to develop and bake a number of dog treats – friendly for all sensitive stomachs!

She said:

“It all started with my dog Riley and the problems he has with many types of food groups you would not expect.

“Back in 2018 poor Riley (aka Riley Roo) was rushed to the vets after he started behaving very strange all of a sudden. He was stooping, hunchbacked and looked to be in a lot of pain.

“He was a six-year-old Patterdale Terrier in normally great health. He has often been described as bullet proof as was the monster of the litter and very rarely ill.”

Naturally, Sarah was very concerned when in 2018 he started showing signs of distress. At first the vet was concerned he had Addison’s disease, an untreatable condition where the adrenal glands do not produce enough steroid hormones, but luckily the vet continued to investigate.

Sarah said:

“Many examinations and tests later, our vet diagnosed him with quite severe food intolerances to many food groups (including pork, beef, rabbit and eggs to name a few).

“Our vet stressed the fact that if these allergies were ignored, Riley could become seriously ill. So, that was it. It was then my mission to get him back on track and to his old naughty self again and to stop the tummy aches he could have been suffering from in silence.

“Luckily the food we had been giving him all along was fine, we checked through the ingredients with a fine-tooth comb, it turned out to be his treats that were the problem.

“So I started making Riley his own treats in our kitchen and he gobbled them up. It was such a lovely feeling knowing I was giving him a nutritious treat where I knew exactly what was in it and he loved them.

“Naturally, I shared them with friends and family dogs who loved them too. From this the Life of Riley – Pet Bakery & Boutique was born.”

Sarah managed to create a bakery in the grounds of her home and after six months of developing recipes launched the business, fronted by Riley the CEO (Chief Eating Officer) who takes his role very seriously indeed.

Riley is enjoying life again

She added:

“There are so many fantastic local independent traders in Shropshire who deserve support – I urge you to Think, Shop, Buy Local this Christmas.”

Steve Charmley, Deputy Leader of Shropshire Council and Cabinet member for assets, economic growth and regeneration, said:

“It is absolutely fantastic to hear from these two wonderful businesses and the positive impact our Think, Shop, Buy Local campaign is having already.

“If we can all buy a couple of Christmas gifts from our local traders we can ensure they have a Merry Christmas and begin 2021 with a spring in their step.”

Hayley Owen, interim head of economic growth at Shropshire Council added:

“These are just two examples of fantastic businesses in Shropshire that are already seeing a lift thanks to people deciding to Think, Shop, Buy Local.

“Shropshire is awash with fabulous businesses, all deserving of support and we will continue to showcase as many as we can in the run up to Christmas, so please get in touch and let us know what you do.”