Forres shopkeepers are supporting the #ForresLovesLocal campaign to encourage people to start shopping on their doorstep. Nearly four months ago, many of them put up signs saying ‘closed until further notice’. This week, they’re replacing them with the message ‘Forres Loves Local’ to remind the public to start their shopping journey in the town.
And they’re hoping that customers will heed the ‘love local’ message that’s now being spread all over the country by Scotland’s Towns Partnership.
Despite being able to open their doors, local shops are facing setbacks with social distancing meaning they can only allow a limited number of customers in at any one time. Hygiene measures have also added to their bill, when they’ve been without custom for months.
Across the country, towns are joining the plea to shop local, with a major marketing campaign launched this week by Scotland’s Towns Partnership to bring a boost to town centres.
Scotland Loves Local
Scotland Loves Local is a nationwide campaign calling on the public in every town to support their local shops and businesses – and Forres is no exception.
The campaign seeks to remind all those living in Scotland that town centres aren’t just a series of buildings and pavements — they are made up of people — and harness the compassion and solidarity that was shown by communities during the coronavirus outbreak to help fuel the recovery.
The campaign follows publication of new polling figures which showed two thirds of Scottish residents intended to shop locally once their high streets reopen post-Coronavirus and that the successful future of town centres depends on support at a local level.
It comes at a time when the need to safely and responsibly support town centres has never been greater following the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Many traders – some of whom have been at the heart of community response campaigns during the crisis – have been forced to temporarily close throughout lockdown, with customers instead turning to large internet retailers.
Think local first
Phil Prentice of Scotland’s Towns Partnership, said: “The impact of coronavirus has hit our town centres and local businesses hard. Now is the time for us all to support them to get back on their feet in a way which recognises that we still need to stay safe and follow the public health guidelines.
“By thinking local first, we can help Scotland’s economic recovery from its grassroots, supporting our town centres within all of the public safety guidelines. The impact we can have by doing this should not be underestimated. The breadth of businesses in our town centres is vast. Whether you need a book, a pint of milk, a night out and a meal or some garden furniture, please think local first”.
“Scotland Loves Local is all about getting people back to their roots and recognising that our town centre businesses and the people who run them are part of the fabric of our communities. Sometimes for generations these people have been there for us. Now it’s time for us to be there for them. One of the great positives of the terrible times in which we have found ourselves has been the greater appreciation of localism. We must now harness that to keep our communities vibrant and lay firm foundations as we work to ensure our town centres are fit for the future.”
Forres Loves Local
And while every town will be urging its residents to shop local in their own areas, Forres is running its own campaign to help people remember that our town needs you to do this now more than ever.
Last week, Moray’s top politicians showed their support for our campaign by backing it and having their pictures taken with the logo, now starting to appear in high street shops.
If you want an A5 or A4 poster for your window, please email editor@forreslocal.com – once they’re widespread, we’ll start showcasing what people can buy without leaving the town. If you want to support us on social media, use the hashtag #ForresLovesLocal and encourage your customers to do the same.
Scotland Loves Local, Forres Loves Local, You love local.