COLUMN: Shop Local this Christmas 

With Welshpool officially launching Christmas, Montgomeryshire Member of the Senedd, Russell George, is urging us all to shop local.

“Last week, I began my Christmas shopping in small, local, independent shops, and I urge everyone to consider shopping locally in the lead-up to Christmas.

In what has been an incredibly challenging year for our business community, we must do all we can to support small, local businesses and independent traders this Christmas, or we risk losing them forever.

Collectively, small businesses are the heart and soul of our town centres. They don’t just represent people’s livelihoods but their entire lives. I will be actively supporting the Small Business Saturday campaign; this annual celebration highlights the importance of supporting local enterprises that form the backbone of our local economy.

I cannot stress enough how small businesses not only provide essential services and unique products but also strengthen the social fabric by creating local jobs and fostering community pride. We are fortunate in Montgomeryshire to have such fantastic and varied small businesses, but with the continuing changes to the retail scene, they need our support to keep our high streets alive.

As a former small shop-owner myself, I was delighted last month to be elected Chair of the Welsh Parliament’s Cross-Party Group on Small Shops. I intend to use this role to advocate for local and small businesses, ensuring their voices are heard.

One of the first issues we have focused on is access to cash. This is crucial for communities across Wales, especially in rural areas where many residents rely on cash transactions.

We must work together to safeguard cash access, ensuring that people can fully engage with their local economies and maintain the health of our high streets. I look forward to leading this group in promoting policies that support small shops and enhance financial inclusivity.

Over the coming weeks, I intend to visit and promote small businesses in our main towns and would welcome invitations to visit if you are a small business owner.

I called into Kathy Gittins in Welshpool (pictured), which was taken over by local woman Shona Jerman (not in the picture) after Kathy retired in July.

Our local high streets are instrumental in bringing people together – acting as meeting places for friends and families while supporting jobs for local people. Let’s do all we can to ensure that our high streets can flourish.