Shop Local Love Local

This week we launched the Love Local Shop Local campaign, encouraging the local community to buy from local businesses. We love Eastbourne and want to our town to survive, revive and thrive following the COVID crisis.

We have started to film local business owners for our ‘Our Town, My Story’ series and these can seen on our Facebook pages: Your Eastbourne and Eastbourne Christmas. Please watch and share to your own networks too and if you would like to be a part of it, please contact us by emailing [email protected] or by calling 01323 671660.

On our website, you will find our Lockdown Directory. This directory lists the businesses within Eastbourne’s Business Improvement District (BID) which are still open or offering delivery, clock and collect or other online services. The directory includes links to the business’s websites and social media pages, as well as including phone numbers. Please check the listings and let us know if you would like anything changed on yours. If you are not yet listed, please email us with some information and we will add you to the directory straightaway.

Earlier this year, following the first national lockdown, East Sussex County Council increased the parking charges in the town centre. We believe that this is a mistake and has had a negative effect on the high street and the many businesses within it. Because of this, we are now lobbying the council again for a suspension of charges during the winter period. We have written to Councillor Claire Dowling and we are awaiting her response.

One of our Christmas activities this year is the Cracking Christmas Raffle and to enter, customers must spend in our local shops. For every £40 spent within the BID, they can receive a raffle ticket, either by visiting a ticket distribution point or by photographing their receipt and emailing it to [email protected] Alternatively, if they purchase anything from an independent shop online, they can take a screenshot of their evidence and email that to the same address. Enter between 1st December and midday on Christmas Eve to be in with a chance of your name being pulled out live on Facebook at 5pm Chrstmas Eve.

One lucky person will win a bundle of holidays, event tickets, a television and much, much more. Our BID ambassadors are delivering packs to businesses during this week so you can share this information with your customers. For more information and to see a list of some of the other items in the first prize bundle worth over £2,500, visit our Christmas website.

In addition to everything we are doing to spread the ‘Love Local Shop Local’ message, we have also been on national TV, with BID CEO Stephen Holt being interviewed for Good Morning Britain earlier this week and Luke interviewed for BBC Radio Sussex too. We are also getting the message out there with the help of our local newspapers and groups.

Please help us to encourage everyone to shop local this year!

Thank you