People encouraged to shop local to help Longford businesses thrive this Christmas

Cathaoirleach of Longford Municipal District, Cllr Uruemu Adejinmi, has reminded Longfordians to keep in mind the long term ripple effect of shopping local this Christmas.

“It might be easier to wander off somewhere else, but when you come back, it’s that local business that is there morning, noon and night.

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They are the ones that help support community groups who need raffle prizes, who need the use of premises at reduced rates, etc, so by shopping locally, you are giving back. Everybody needs to adopt this attitude of giving back, of supporting each other because we can only thrive when we work together.”

Cllr Adejinmi pointed out that as local businesses are pivotal to the funding of services for members of the public, it was of the utmost importance to keep that circular economy in motion in Longford.

“Our small businesses are the cornerstone, the bedrock of our community - these businesses support your local schools, community groups, the council, and when we have events and activities, those businesses are what keep us alive. They fund the council's services for the public, so it's very important that we have that circular economy and make sure that our local businesses are supported as much as possible so that they can be prosperous and in turn, re-invest in the communities, re-invest in our schools, re-invest in the different activities we have.”

To help entice even more shoppers into Longford Town over the Christmas period, the council are providing free off street parking at weekends throughout December and into the new year.

Cllr Adejinmi explained the council wants to help businesses in Longford thrive. She added, “We have a variety of businesses in the town and our retail sector is vibrant. We introduced free parking at weekends up until Christmas and into the new year as we want to make sure that we’re supporting the businesses as well as helping them to thrive. I would urge everyone to shop local because that business is owned by a local person, your neighbour, a friend, a relative of a friend, so please let us continue to support our local economy.”

It has often been noted that visitors to the town are surprised by the variety of retail and food choices within the town. Cllr Adejinmi says Longford has so much to offer commercially.

“My daughter even remarked the other day that there are so many coffee shops and restaurants, there are loads of them in town,” Cllr Adejinmi says. “There are great shops like Unique Boutique that actually do have great unique pieces. There's so much in Longford. I think people should take the time to come out into the town, have lunch, and just check out the shops.”

The county councillor pointed out that even purchasing a cup of coffee can be a show of support for local business.

“I always smile when I see people in the morning stop to grab a coffee on their way into work because it just shows that we are supporting our local businesses. That's what keeps our town vibrant. That's what keeps our towns alive. It would be really great if everybody this Christmas - and going forward - shopped local every day and supported our beloved local businesses.”

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Those working remotely were also advised to use the town as their break from the home office.

Cllr Adejinmi concluded, “I know working remotely has done a great deal towards work-life balance. Then again, it’s still good to take a break and come into town, meet your friend for lunch or coffee, maybe get a new top for the Zoom meetings. It’s good to come into the town, vary your day, and do something different.”

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme