Use local shops for last minute gifts, says council

In this special seasonal article, the county council reminds us of the importance of shopping locally this Christmas ...

The previous two Christmases weren’t ‘normal’ to say the least, mainly because of the Covid-19 pandemic and our attempts to keep ourselves and each other safe. 

But Christmas 2022 is being affected by other, different circumstances beyond our control.

Postal strikes are having a considerable effect on delivery times, rail strikes are affecting our ability to travel further-afield to do our Christmas shopping, and the ‘cost of living crisis’ is affecting most of us in one way or another. 

But by having to shop differently this Christmas, it also offers us some excellent opportunities as well. And if you’ve still got some last minute shopping to do, remember that there are some wonderful businesses right on our doorstep.

Denbighshire County Council’s initiative to Support Denbighshire High Streets is particularly relevant this Christmas. 

Asking people to shop and support their local businesses is nothing new. The annual #lovelivelocal campaign provides an excellent opportunity to remind us of what we have nearby. 

Rather than taking the risk of ordering online and not receiving your items in time or filling up on over-priced diesel to drive to do our shopping miles away, we can save time and money and help our local traders by shopping closer to home.  

The campaign reminds us that we have wonderful shops, cafés, and restaurants on our own local high streets, and if we support them and use them, we can ensure that they continue to be there for us in the future. And a good Christmas can mean everything to a local trader.

There is so much more to the high street experience than just shopping, especially over the Christmas period. 

There was a time when we did much more of our Christmas shopping on our local high street. It was an opportunity to meet up with friends for a chat, a cuppa, and a mince pie, and there’s nowhere like your local high street when the Christmas lights are shining, there are carol singers singing and events such as artisan markets bring new life to town.

Councillor Jason McLellan, Leader of Denbighshire County Council, and Lead Member for Economic Growth and Tackling Deprivation, said: “The #lovelivelocal campaign is to remind people of the wonderful businesses we have in Denbighshire, to shop and use local services wherever possible to keep the Denbighshire economy thriving and lower our carbon footprint.

"It’s been going really well so far this year but it's important that we continue to remind our residents that they don’t need to travel very far to shops, and they don’t need to buy online, everything they need is here, in our towns and villages – give Denbighshire businesses a go and #lovelivelocal.”

After two Christmases of being apart, the high street can be a place for us to congregate and meet up once again. And if you’ve been out and about and feel that the service you’ve received from a local business is something you’d like to share with your friends, family, or even the business itself, don’t forget to use your social media presence to let everyone know!

And a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all!