Love Local

What I've been thinking about this week: 

• Small businesses and how they make the world go round. 

It all started when I was sitting at my desk looking out the window at the man in a tractor cutting the hedges at the Spittal. I'm getting to know my tractors so I realised straight away it wasn't a Fisher man in a blue tractor; it was a different man in a red tractor. 

Blue Tractor
(New Holland just to prove I know 😉)

It got me thinking about all the businesses that are involved in life on the farm. There are the obvious ones like the farm itself; the contracting business; and the holiday cottages. 

But then there are all the others - the aforementioned hedge cutter; the Hoof GP; the vet practice; Fallenstock (which doesn't deal in surplus stock); the lorry driver that takes animals to or from market; the agronomist (I get extra points for remembering that one); the farm supplies shop (that kept us stocked in flour and sugar when everywhere else had run out); and so on. It doesn't take much to see how important these small businesses are to each other. 

On the other side of the coin, there are the other farms that employ I&A Fisher (mainly to do things that mean I make Ivie take off his boiler suit before coming anywhere near me). 

Clean boiler suits

And it all makes our part of the world go round so that we can spend our money locally, too. You don't need me to tell you about the better service you get by spending your money with the small businesses that actually pay their taxes instead of with the huge corporations that offer bigger, cheaper, faster. 

• When we buy plants at Galloway Heathers, Marcus and Iona know where our garden is so can advise what will fare best. 
• When we buy fish from Ferry Fish, it comes straight to our door only a few hours after being bought at the market. 
• When I buy moisturiser at Imagination, I know that Una will help me choose what's right for my skin.  

The list goes on and you'll have your favourites, too. 

So, this is a shout out to all the small businesses that have supported us during lockdown and need us to keep supporting them as we approach the dreaded C-Word. Our corner of the world is a far richer place for having unique high streets. Let's keep them that way.