Shopping local is nothing new – businesses in Halton have been locally supported through generations and are still here today, so let’s celebrate them in the lead up to Christmas.
To recognise the importance of our local shops, the Mersey Gateway Bridge will be lit up red, yellow and green on Saturday 4 December, which is also National Small Business Saturday.
Some of the businesses in Halton can trace their local roots back 70 years or more and some of them are brand new.
As a trading area on the banks of a river, two canals and many railway stations, Halton shops and traders have been at the hub of the local economy for a long time.
From butchers and bakers to bookshops and grocers, the tradition of local independent shops carries on today, with new shops opening to complement the existing offers.
Christmas bikes have been bought locally for over 50 years, butchers and grocers have supplied the Christmas lunch for countless numbers of families ,and stockings have been filled with annuals and books supplied by traditional shops.
It’s not just about the past though.
New businesses supplying something as simple as that Christmas haircut, a natter in a tea shop or a big outdoors coat to keep the chill away have sprung up in both towns.
Halton Borough Council is using funds from the European Regional Development Fund’s (ERDF) Welcome Back Fund to encourage shoppers to their local high streets in Widnes and Runcorn, and helping businesses use social media to let people know what a diverse range of shops and goods are available.
If you want to know what’s in your local shops, keep an eye on social media for #haltonhighstreets