Council push to ‘buy local’ this year for Christmas

This Christmas, Horsham District Council is encouraging the public to “Buy Local, Gift Happy” as part of their ongoing Buy Local Campaign to support local independent businesses.

The campaign reminds local people and shoppers that Horsham District has everything you need to make this Christmas an extra special one. From gifts and wrapping, to decorations and Christmas lights.

You can find unique gifts across Horsham District which will make you happy, make local businesses happy, be kind to the environment, and above all the recipients will be happy, too.

Local businesses are offering unique, sustainable, and festive items for your Christmas list.  If you buy local this Christmas, you are supporting local people, by investing money back into the local economy. You are lowering your environmental impact, by travelling less, and you get to experience the magical Christmas being created throughout the District.

Local businesses are bouncing back from previous tough trading years and preparing to provide an extra special Christmas, with gifts, displays and decorations.

There are also many seasonal events happening across the District, from ice skating to candy cane trails, making our high streets a really festive place to visit.

Commenting on the campaign Horsham District Council Cabinet Member for the Local Economy Cllr Chris Brown said:

The resilience and recovery rate of our local businesses post the pandemic has been really impressive.

Equally impressive is the positive response of local shoppers and those visiting our towns and villages in supporting our independent businesses.

I would like to thank all of you who have shopped local throughout the year and urge all of you to keep ‘buying local’ throughout the Christmas period and beyond.

It keeps so much more money in our communities and helps to secure local employment.

In Horsham District, there are plenty of ways to support local businesses whether in person, or online, via Click and Collect services, or the Virtual Horsham website.

If you’re a local business, you can Buy Local, Gift Happy by buying from local suppliers and letting customers know that you are a local business with Christmas gifts to share, please tag us using the hashtag #buylocalgifthappy so we can share conversations and promotions.

For more information on how to Buy Local, Gift Happy this Christmas, please visit www.horsham.gov.uk/business/buylocal .