As the economy continues to struggle, life is especially tough for local, independent, shops. The Federation of Small Businesses reports that, nationally, we are losing 2,000 of these shops each year, which means we are inching ever closer to an ‘indentikit Britain’, where large chain stores dominate every high street .

As elsewhere, Horley’s local shops are so much more than just places to buy stuff. They are the heart of the community and, in these challenging times, we must do all we can to keep that heart beating.

But as well as supporting local businesses for their convenience and character we need to support them because of their economic and social importance.  Small businesses are major  employers of local people: for every business that disappears, a great number of families are affected.

Some towns have started loyalty initiatives like “Shop Smart” to boost spending in local shops. Caterham, for example, has such a scheme, and has also introduced its local currency! There are also prize draws to reward those who shop locally and support the local community. Maybe the RH6 area has something to learn from Caterham’s experience? Rather than accepting a loss of revenue or even closure as an inevitable consequence of the economic climate, businesses are fighting back and it falls to all of us to support them.