Christmas Made Local

Searching for Christmas presents that add to the local economy rather than tax-dodging multinationals? There are two places to look.

The first is our very own town centre of Belper and the shops on King Street, Strutt Street and Bridge Street in particular. Back in 2013, under the heading of Totally Locally Belper local independent traders launched a campaign to persuade us to shop local. They estimated that “If every adult in Belper spent just £5 per week in their local independent shops instead of online or at the big supermarkets, it would be worth an extra £5 million per year going into the local economy. Which means more jobs, better facilities and a nicer place for us all to live”.

The campaign obviously had an effect with Belper claiming the ‘Best British High Street’ award.

Made in Derbyshire

2015 kicked off a programme of celebrations and activities exploring the rich cultural life and diversity of Derbyshire under the banner of ‘Made in Derbyshire’. It is promoted by Culture Derbyshire, a partnership of public, private, voluntary and community organisations working together to promote and improve the cultural life of the county and lead by Derbyshire County Council.

Derbyshire has a rich and varied range of producers from the many farms and dairies that produce food for our tables, to the cafes and restaurants that cook that food; from artists and creatives who enliven our cultural life, to engineering and manufacturing companies that operate on an international level from their bases in Derbyshire. The Made in Derbyshire web site highlights around 500 companies, artists and makers who all have great products on offer.

So, get looking for ideas and then track down the locally made products that are unique to Derbyshire for that surprising Christmas pressie.

See: http://www.madeinderbyshire.org/products

By David George