The UK is full of hardworking, creative, small businesses - and Barrow and Furness is certainly no exception. The small business is the lifeblood of our economy, and it’s vital that more of us realise what wonderful local goods and services exist on our own doorsteps.

Here at thebestof we constantly champion our fantastic local small businesses, and we always, always encourage people to buy local whenever possible, which is why we fully support Small Business Saturday.

Small Business Saturday is a campaign that not only highlights the successes small businesses have achieved, it also reminds and urges people to support the small businesses in their communities too.

The campaign is always held on the first Saturday of December, and small business owners are urged to sign up to the campaign, share images and tell the world via social media what they’re doing to celebrate.

It’s about being creative and standing out from the crowd, something that’s even more relevant on the run up to Christmas.

So who can get involved and how?

Well, the simple answer is everyone can! Whether you shop (or are looking to shop) in small local businesses, or own a small business, there are ways to be part of Small Business Saturday.

For business owners there is the chance to register online at www.smallbusinesssaturdayuk.com/small-business-finder . You could organize an event for the campaign, or maybe run a special offer specifically for that day. This can be promoted in store and online, making it easy for people to see exactly how you’re getting involved.

If you’re a customer you can search for local business online at www.smallbusinesssaturdayuk.com/small-business-finder and it will give you the details of any  business in your area that are taking part in the campaign. Or of course you could just go into town and see for yourself and do a spot of shopping.

However you choose to get involved, be sure to share on social media using #SmallBizSatUK

Last year #SmallBizUK trended at No.1 all day on Small Business Saturday with over 10,000 tweets sent in support of the day – reaching more than 25 million people!

This is a wonderful campaign; in 2015 £623 million was spent with small businesses on Small Business Saturday. Let’s make sure this years campaign is even more successful.

Make a big difference and shop small.