Here at thebestof Heanor and Ripley we are proud to announce the launch of our ‘Buy Local’ campaign for 2011. 
This fantastic campaign promotes the best that our local area has to offer and is designed to get local people supporting and using local shops and services rather than big national chains; using our own High Streets rather than being enticed by the bright lights of the big cities – well, Nottingham and Derby anyway!!

I’ve been out and about talking to local businesses and I’m amazed at the range and diversity of shops that exist right on our doorsteps.  Whether you live in Heanor, Ripley or any of our other great villages, you can find pretty much everything you need from local traders; from a bunch of flowers for a special occasion to a light bulb for your hallway, you can find it all on our high streets and the traders are always ready and willing to offer help, advice and a friendly word.

It’s really saddening to see the number of empty shops in our town centres, and I have to admit that this problem seems to be more profound in Heanor than in Ripley.  The worst sight for me was to see a sign in the window of the hardware shop in the Market Place which read ‘Last shop to close, please turn the lights out’!!  Susan, the owner of the shop, is a very vocal supporter of Heanor, having lived and worked here for over 40 years. When I popped in to see her we had a fantastic conversation about what it used to be like on Heanor High Street and how thriving the market used to be.  She is as passionate as I am about showing just how great Heanor and Ripley are, and bringing back the sense of pride and community which used to be here just a few short years ago.  

So what can we do to help?

Look out for our distinctive window stickers which show the businesses that are supporting our Buy Local campaign, but most of all show your support by doing as much of your shopping as you can from our local traders. 
We can only entice new exciting businesses into those empty shops if we show that the High Street is thriving and being used regularly and fully by local people.

You can also help us to shout about how great your favourite shops are - click the link at the top of this page, register on the site (if you haven't already done so) and tell us whihc businesses you love and why - we can then shout about them to everyone else.

Get behind these fantastic people, pop into their shops, browse around and see what they have to offer.  I bet you’ll be amazed at just how much you can buy locally.  We have butchers, green grocers, hardware stores, greetings cards and presents, chemists, clothes shops and much, much more, and you might be surprised at how comparable the prices are.

As the old saying goes – use it or lose it! And most of all - Buy Local!