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SCOTLAND LOVES LOCAL
The second Scotland Loves Local Week starts tomorrow and TV’s Sean Batty’s been behind the scenes in Scottish businesses to see for himself why it’s so important that communities support them
IN the past few weeks, Sean Batty has donned aprons to manicure nails, tint eyelashes, work on a till, stock shelves and serve in a cafe.
He has met a woman who was supported through cancer treatment by her beautician and learned all about a group which has turned an abandoned 17th century mill into a vibrant community cafe and shop.
While a far cry from the bright lights of the television studio, it has all been part of the mission to shine a spotlight on why it is so important that people choose local to protect jobs, secure the future of businesses and lay the foundations for a stronger, more sustainable future.
The STV weatherman is an ambassador for Scotland Loves Local. Its call to think local first will be at the fore as part of Scotland Loves Local Week, from August 26 until September 1.
Sean has enjoyed going behind the scenes in local enterprises to meet staff, customers and hear for himself the critical difference that local support makes.
“What always strikes me is the relationship that local businesses have with their customers. It is so personal - making a real impact on their lives,” he says. “So often, they go above and beyond in the most remarkable of ways.”
While spending an afternoon sampling work at a beauty salon in Giffnock, East Renfrewshire, Sean heard one client singing the praises of owner Jo Mulhern - not just for the standard of her work but the ways in which she supports clients.
Louise McCaskill told him: “I had cancer a couple of years ago. I lost all of my hair, but I didn’t lose my nails.
“Every time I went for my chemo treatment all of the nurses said my nails looked fabulous. I didn’t lose them because Jo looked after them so well.”
And Jo, who supports other small enterprises through her business, says: “One of the things I love about being a small local business is that you get to know people - and they trust you.”
At Gavin’s Mill, an historic landmark brought back to life as a cafe and shop which champions local and fairtrade products in Milngavie, East Dunbartonshire, he saw how community spirit was providing a platform for sustainable shopping and springboard for up-and-coming entrepreneurs.
Julie Kelly, who is part of the team there, explains: “We offer a space for emerging producers - people working in small business units or their kitchens, to help them grow their businesses. It gives us a USP - things you can’t get anywhere else.
“There’s so much entrepreneurialism in Scotland. It’s incredible. But it’s so hard sometimes for them to get a shop window. We can give them that, bring their product to the community and watch them grow.”
Charity chair Sue Milne adds: “All of its profits go to the charity to help us look after the mill as well as looking after communities overseas and in East Dunbartonshire.
“As a charity we’ve taken on the job of being the custodians of this building. We managed to raise £180,000 and the rest is a mortgage. It’s another epic journey to get that paid off and do the other things that this place really needs so that it can work fully for the community.”
These are conversations which have made their mark on Sean, who is a prominent champion of local people and projects in his home town of Paisley and who celebrated the achievements of high street heroes from across the country when he hosted last year’s Scotland Loves Local Awards.
“Without people spending money locally these businesses and projects are never going to survive,” he adds.
“No-one wants to see empty buildings in town centres. There are people doing amazing things to breathe new life into them, but they need our support.
“It is not just about shopping. It is about embracing everything we have locally - from salons and restaurants to visitor attractions and tradespeople.
“What I love about these businesses is that they genuinely help our friends and neighbours who work in them.”
Scotland Loves Local is spearheaded by Scotland’s Towns Partnership (STP), the organisation which champions the nation’s towns and places, with support from the Scottish Government.
As part of Scotland Loves Local Week, it is encouraging people, businesses, councils and other organisations across the country to make a commitment to choosing local by signing the Scotland Loves Local Pledge - and encouraging others to do the same.
It states: “Our promise is simple. We will choose local, prioritising the people and businesses around us, at every opportunity.”
That simple act has a huge impact - whether that be the difference between surviving and thriving for local enterprises, as well as unlocking opportunities to create new town centre homes, attractive green spaces, visitor attractions and more.
STP and Miconex, the Perth-based fintech with which it works on the Scotland Loves Local Gift Card programme to lock money into local economies, see first-hand on a daily basis the difference it makes when local people and businesses pull out the stops to support each other.
Kimberley Guthrie, STP’s chief officer, says: “We really hope that people will get behind us and sign the pledge to publicly demonstrate the nation’s commitment to supporting local businesses, potentially injecting millions of pounds more into our regional economies.
“The power of choosing local more often - whether that be residents doing so in their daily lives or businesses supporting other local businesses - is transformational.
“Greater support for local enterprises protects jobs and businesses.
“And that support underpins the tireless work taking place to help communities adapt to our ever-changing world, seizing opportunities to innovate, invest and make our communities better places to live, work and visit.”
Visit West End - the Byres Road and Lanes Business Improvement District (BID) Glasgow - is among the organisations to so far sign the Pledge.
Chair John Turner says: “The more local people invest in our businesses, the more our businesses can help invest in the future of the West End and wider Glasgow.”
STP leads the Scotland Loves Local initiative as a means to boost local economies and improve places by galvanising support for the people and businesses in them.
Events during Scotland Loves Local Week will highlight work taking place by the likes of community organisations, Business Improvement Districts, social enterprises and others, with visits by politicians, special events and social media campaigns.
People are being invited to share images and details of great businesses and organisations that make their home area so special, using the hashtags #ScotlandLovesLocal and #ChooseLocal.
Find out more about Scotland Loves Local Week and to see how you can sign the Scotland Loves Local Pledge at www.lovelocal.scot
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