How local newsrooms have been supporting and campaigning for high streets, independent businesses, the hospitality sector and more through lockdown and tier restrictions
As the second national lockdown in England lifted on Wednesday 2 December, we saw shoppers return to high streets across the country.
For many places though the tier-restrictions continued to impact on the hospitality sector and have a knock-on impact on many traders.
Pubs, restaurants, shops and many more other leisure outlets have been hit hard by the pandemic.
For newsrooms up and down the UK these are not just businesses, but people, readers and advertisers, who help make up the rich tapestry of the local life we report on.
Here’s a look at just a handful of the initiatives we know have been spearheaded by newsrooms to encourage readers — both in print and online — to support those businesses on their local high streets.
A virtual Christmas market
In Cheshire, the Warrington Guardian has been campaigning since the first week of the first lockdown for readers to Back Our Businesses.
The latest initiative, run in conjunction with Warrington Borough Council, saw the Guardian set up a Virtual Christmas Market.
Editor Hayley Smith said: “Businesses can fill in a form with some brief details of how to buy Christmas gifts from them and we will be encouraging readers to shop local by publishing comprehensive gift guides in the coming weeks.”
Hayley said the campaign had seen a really great response from readers on Facebook in particular.
Wishing we could go back out on the ‘Toon
Newcastle’s nightlife is legendary. For anyone who has ever experienced the Bigg Market on a Friday night — it’s a heady mix of fun, frolics and a fair amount of alcohol!
ChronicleLive came out in support of the city’s famous hospitality sector with the Save Our Scene campaign.
The team at the Chronicle have been using the campaign to showcase all the different ways readers in the North East — and beyond — can help firms in the hospitality sector. From buying virtual gift vouchers for venues, through to shopping local.
Audience and content director for Reach’s North East and Yorkshire titles, Helen Dalby, said: “Save Our Scene will encourage people to order local and buy local, and will showcase ways in which people in the North East can support these businesses during lockdown. And we will demand that the Government does more with specific, targeted support to help struggling firms in these sectors.”
Biggin’ up Brizzles pubs
Bristol has seen Covid-19 infection rates increase rapidly in recent months and found itself plunged into tier-3 restrictions.
Pub culture is a big part of the city and Bristol Live has joined forces with Hospitality Action UK to launch the Big Up Bristol Christmas Appeal.
The newsroom is hoping to raise £10,000 to help hospitality workers left hard-up by the pandemic.
Funds are distributed to individuals and families in need around Bristol — who work in the industry full-time, part-time or are self-employed within the hospitality sector in the last eight months. Each household would receive a Covid-19 recovery grant of between £250 to £750.
Bristol Live has the backing of many local MPs in the campaign and is also calling on the government to provide more financial support to hospitality businesses who are in tier-3 areas such as Bristol.
Audience and content director for Reach’s South West titles, Jacqui Merrington, said: “We’re asking everyone in Bristol who can to put the money that you might otherwise have spent on a night out or a Christmas meal towards our fundraising appeal for hospitality workers.
“Even if everyone put the £5 or £10 tip that they might have given restaurant staff at the end of a meal towards our Christmas Hospitality Appeal, we could make a really big difference to people’s lives.”
Keep on trading
In Bolton the team focused on supporting the boroughs market traders.
Many markets were allowed to carry on trading throughout the second national lockdown — but traders feared the public wouldn’t know.
In stepped the Bolton News to encourage safe shopping across the town where market stalls were still open or where cafes were offering a take-out option.
At the start of the second national lockdown The News ran a special report on the boroughs markets — calling on readers to ditch the supermarkets and buy local instead.
Bolton News editor Steve Thompson said: “I only recently took over in this role and my mantra is that we must be community focused, champion our towns and support local business.
“The front page we ran saying ‘we’re still open’ came from conversations I had that week with local businesses.
“Then I took a call from one of the local cafes who was almost embarrassed to be asking for help — but that’s what we’re here for.
“They needed to get the message out that Tier 3 and lockdown didn’t mean that everywhere is shutting. So many people — especially our elderly readers — don’t necessarily know that — because the communication surrounding guidelines is so confusing.
“He said afterwards that the front page made all the difference. For me that showed the power of newspapers and our role in the community.”
Take out to help out
Staying in Greater Manchester, and the Manchester Evening News — the UK’s largest regional news website — joined forces with Reach’s hyperlocal platform InYourArea to launch the Order Local campaign.
Running across the entire Reach portfolio of websites any restaurant, pub, brewery, food outlet or anywhere offering takeaway food and drink — to keep revenue coming in during the lockdown — could list themselves for free.
This was turned into a search tool allowing readers to see which local businesses needed their support during lockdown.
The brainchild of audience editor for food and drink at the MEN, Emily Heward, #OrderLocal then expanded into offering independent shops the chance to list themselves as doing delivery or click-n-collect services during the lockdown — as many larger retailers were allowed to continue trading.
InYourArea’s Order Local search tool has seen more than 1,000 businesses across the UK list themselves and has won the backing of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), the British Takeaway Campaign and the British Independent Retailers Association (BIRA).
InYourArea’s editor-in-chief, Ed Walker, said: “I hope through Order Local we can show, as communities, how much we value these restaurants, craft ale bars, farm shops and wherever else is helping us keep well stocked, fed and watered during the coming weeks and months ahead.”
Shopping local
JPI Media titles, including the Lancashire Post, brought their long-running call for readers to shop local campaign a digital edge during the second lockdown.
#supportlocal has been running since the first lockdown and the Post was one of many websites to encourage people to shop locally — and list shops and traders offering delivery services.
A picture gallery showcased traders in Preston who were still allowed to open under the restrictions — just one of the many ways the teams took on the stories of traders and business owners.
We’re sure there’s loads more great campaigns and initiatives, we’re happy to feature them. Please inbox Behind Local News on Facebook and we’ll add you, or tweet @behindlocalnews
