Over the weekend I decided to spend Saturday visiting small businesses in the constituency as part of Small Business Saturday. It was a great opportunity to get a bit of Christmas shopping done, have some lunch and go to the hairdressers!

We can all be guilty of opting for the big supermarkets when we need something straightaway, or even heading to the well-known chains for convenience – but if it’s for something we can buy locally it’s well worth supporting our small businesses. Small businesses contribute hugely to our local economies by bringing growth and innovation to the area and buying our goods with them could have a direct impact on our local community.

I started the day by getting my hair done at Aqua Hair Salon, a small independent hairdressers in Brockley. I then went for a bit of lunch at Brockley’s Rock, the best fish and chips I’ve ever eaten. Then I went on to do a bit of Christmas shopping at Jones of Brockley, Gently Elephant, Magi’s Gifts, Ladywell Christmas Market, St. Peter’s church Christmas fayre and Deptford Market. We stopped for a coffee at The Brockley Deli and finished the day with a drink at The Job Centre on Deptford high street. Overall, the day was a huge success.

It was a great opportunity to catch up with local business owners across the constituency, we managed to chat about all sorts, Brexit being the main topic of discussion as usual! It was a stark reminder that there is currently a lot of uncertainty in business and many local business owners are seeing their stock prices rising. It was also a reminder of how brilliant our community is in Lewisham Deptford, we have so many friendly local people who care about the area’s prosperity.

The number of businesses in Lewisham Deptford is growing at a rate faster than the UK average. This is great news for employment, as small businesses generate a high percentage of jobs for local people. Currently there are around 3,900 businesses in the constituency with fewer than 10 employees, that’s 95% of all businesses. A further 4% of businesses have 10-49 businesses. This is higher than the UK average meaning we have a wide range of independently owned businesses, bringing a great variety of services and amenities in our local area.

So if you live in the area and are walking past a local small businesses why not pop in? Even if it’s just to introduce yourself -; I’m yet to meet a small business owner in Lewisham Deptford that isn’t up for a friendly chat!