Traders hope to buck trend
HORBURY'S town centre shops are not only a vital service for local people – they will also be the driving force behind Britain's economic recovery.
More than 120 small firms are closing every week in the UK – but in week five of the Help Your High Street campaign, Horbury traders are determined to buck the trend.
Small businesses contribute 50 per cent of UK turnover, and 60 per cent of their profits remain in the communities they serve.
That means the survival of Horbury’s unique mix of high street shops is vital to help beat the recession, Britain’s largest organisation representing small businesses has said.
Janice Haigh, Wakefield Branch chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses, said: “If we don’t help small businesses survive, we are going to have nothing left.”
She said shop local campaigns like Help Your High Street had a track record of protecting small firms for the communities they serve.
In 2008, the FSB launched its Keep Trade Local campaign in South Yorkshire after many businesses were hit by the aftermath of severe flooding.
Mrs Haigh said: “What was happening was that a lot of the building work that needed doing was going to firms from all over the UK, and even from Europe, not from the local area.
“We launched the campaign to help local firms. It was very successful and has now spread to a national campaign.”
Derek Hanley, who runs the Pear Tree gift shop, on Horbury High Street, with his wife Karen, said he had noticed a positive response to the Help Your High Street campaign.
He said: “I think people are recognising the need to support their local traders if they want them to be there. We are very hopeful this will make a difference.”
Small businesses employ 13.5m people in the UK, making up 58 per cent of the entire private sector workforce.
The FSB, which has more than 1,300 members in the Wakefield district, is campaigning on their behalf for action on business crime, free parking in town centres and help to keep local post offices open.
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Weather for Wakefield
Wednesday 23 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 13 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 12 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North east
