Letter to the editor - One Shops Local

Published on 27 January 2012

Epping Forest Guardian
8 Simon Campion Court
High Street
Epping
Essex

Dear Sir

Can it really be that none of the customers visiting the shops of Debden Traders Tony Woodham, Arnold Burnham, Angela Whiston and Beryl Sullivan have heard of the One Shops Local campaign?

Since 8 December, the Guardian has carried no fewer than six articles and letters, several of which have featured the four traders mentioned above plus even more coverage on the Guardian website. The Guardian may well have given the scheme even more publicity I have missed. Surely some of their customers read the local newspaper? Residents in other parts of the district can read about One Shops Local through the coverage of the Mercury and the Gazette plus community websites such as everythingeppingforest and EN9 About My Area. All 50,000 district households also received a double page spread about One Shops Local in the Forester magazine delivered by Epping Forest District Council before Christmas.

Many local traders have embraced the scheme. They are positive and are doing all they can to promote the website to their customers who are encouraged to spread the word.

On a final point, while Epping Forest District councillors are proud to be associated with One Shops Local, we helped with meeting start-up costs and are doing all we can to promote it, the insistence of the Guardian in labelling it a 'Council' scheme is misguided. One Shops Local is a fantastic initiative run by local business people organised through the Epping Forest Chamber of Commerce (all volunteering their time) and the Essex Branch of the Federation of Small Businesses. Now is the time for all of us to throw our weight fully behind the scheme. More than 100 local businesses have already signed up. Perhaps the Guardian itself might be the next? Then we may all really start to see the benefits of residents rediscovering the delights of shopping local.

Councillor Gagan Mohindra
Business Champion
Epping Forest District Council