The Federation of Small Businesses mission is to help smaller businesses achieve their ambitions, and on Saturday they joined in the UK-wide Small Business Saturday campaign to support local businesses who in Northern Ireland are the backbone of the local economy.
[caption id="attachment_60458" align="aligncenter" width="540"]
John Friel, FSB Regional Chair; Stephen Pound MP, Shadow Minister of State for Northern Ireland; South Down MP Margaret Ritchie; Nuala Macartan, Macartan’s Shoes; Paul Macartan, Macartan Sports; John Rooney, SE Branch Chair; and Angela Harris, Macartan’s Shoes.[/caption]
The FSB is the UK’s largest direct-member business organisation with around 200,000 members nationally and 7,000 of whom are in Northern Ireland. To celebrate the event, a delegation of senior members of the Northern Ireland FSB along with MP’s visited Downpatrick to get their message across to local traders.
South Down MP Margaret Ritchie was proud to say that she backed the small business campaign and she joined a host of representatives from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), and Stephen Pound MP from Eeling North, in Downpatrick to celebrate Small Business Saturday. Mr Pound is the Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
Showcasing the best of what the town has to offer, from tea at the Oakley Fayre, shopping in Kelly’s Hardware, JJ Donnelly Menswear, Down Jewellers and Macartan’s Shoes then lunch at Denvir’s Hotel, local traders took the opportunity to encourage shoppers to keep trade local by supporting small businesses.
[caption id="attachment_60471" align="aligncenter" width="540"]
Pictured in the craft shop in the St Patrick Centre celebrating Small Business Saturday in Downpatrick were Jim Masson, FSB member; John Rooney, FSB SE Branch Chair; Cllr Colin McGrath; John Carson, St Patrick Centre Chief Executive; Stephen Pound MP, Shadow Minister of State for Northern Ireland; Roger Pollen, FSB NI Head of External Affairs, Margaret Ritchie MP; Stephen Kearney, FSB member; Philomena Friel, FSB Western Branch; John Friel, FSB Regional Chair; and Graeme Weir, FSB Regional Membership Adviser.[/caption]
Small Business Saturday, which takes place every year on the first Saturday in December, is a chance to celebrate the contribution of shops, cafes, bars and other small businesses to the local economy and community.
South Down MP Margaret Ritchie said: “We have a wide range of excellent local businesses here in Downpatrick and throughout South Down. Small Business Saturday is our chance, whether as elected representatives or consumers, to celebrate their contribution to the area.
“It was great to see so many FSB Members this morning and to give Stephen Pound a real insight into Downpatrick’s retail trade along with the unique early Christian heritage and tourism product that we can offer visitors to the area.
“The town centre needs our support all year round and today is an opportunity for us all to spread the word about the benefits of shopping local for the festive season and throughout the year.”
Councillor Colin McGrath was encouraged by the initiative and said: “This has been a wonderful event to showcase Downpatrick as an example of somewhere to ‘shop local’, recycling money back into the economy and protecting local businesses and jobs.
“I am delighted that the FSB chose Downpatrick as their town to deliver their promotion this year for small business and fro Shadow NI Minister Stephen Pound to join us. It was a great day and excellent PR for Downpatrick our County town and for our local business community.”
Brendan Kearney, a Downpatrick FSB member, said: “This has been a good year for us and we were delighted to welcome Margaret Ritchie MP and Stephen Pound MP to the Oakley Fayre so they could sample our menu, made up of great food from local producers.
“It is vital that all politicians work together to back the small businesses which sustain our local economy.”
And John Friel, FSB Northern Ireland Regional Chairman, added: “It is important that prominent local figures such as Margaret Ritchie MP and Stephen Pound MP are coming out today and backing local small businesses.
“It has been a tough few years for the high street and, even with the economy picking up again, challenges remain. Small Business Saturday is our chance as shoppers to recognise the contribution that small and medium sized businesses make to our community. Across Northern Ireland, we encourage people to Keep Trade Local all year round, because small businesses employ more than the rest of the private sector and whole of the public sector combined, so it’s vital that we all play our part in supporting those businesses to survive and thrive.”
Small Business Saturday UK is a grassroots, non-commercial campaign, which highlights small business success and encourages consumers to ‘shop local’ and support small businesses in their communities.
https://www.smallbusinesssaturdayuk.com
[caption id="attachment_60457" align="aligncenter" width="540"]
Enjoying a morning cuppa in the Oakley Fayre in Downpatrick are Brendan Kearney, Oakley Fayre and FSB member; Stephen Pound MP, Shadow Minister of State for Northern Ireland; Margaret Ritchie MP; Cllr Colin McGrath; John Friel, FSB Regional Chair; Philomena Friel, FSB Western Branch; Roger Pollen, FSB Head of External Affairs NI; John Rooney, FSB South East Branch Chair; Graeme Weir, FSB Membership Adviser.[/caption]
]]>
