14 minute read
Shop Local
from SE23 June 2020
by SE Magazines
One unexpected and welcome outcome from the Coronovirus lockdown is the way in which many small businesses have been able to adapt so that they can keep trading. We’ve seen cafes become grocers, restaurants develop collection and takeaway services almost overnight, shops develop online e-commerce stores, and salon owners becoming YouTube stars as they share their skills and expertise with ever widening and appreciative audiences. Even during times of crisis, the demand to shop can open up new opportunities in many industries. At SE Mags we’ve always believed that shopping local plays a vital role, and no matter what our world will look like in the future we should all carry on supporting local enterprise. So here are 5 reasons why shopping local matters, now more than ever.
1) It builds local communities & strengthens local economies
When you support a local business, you are supporting your friends, family, and neighbours. The availability of local shops is especially important for the elderly, vulnerable, young people and those without access to private transport. Plus the more money that local councils make in rent and rates, the more they can spend on supporting local infrastructure and public services.
2) Local small businesses add character to towns& villages
A small business or boutique shop adds character to the city or town when you walk or drive by. In a world that has become increasingly dominated by chain stores, a local business’s branding is unique and often quirky, adding something different to your High Street, offering an alternative experience, and bringing a much needed breath of fresh air into areas populated by generic stores and companies.
3) Creates more job opportunities & encourages entrepreneurship
A local business that becomes a success will grow, and as they grow they’ll recruit more staff from the local population. Plus their success will encourage other local businesses to open up to take advantage of the footfall, encouraging other people to take the plunge and become entrepreneurs too!
4) You get a more personalised service
Local business owners are friendly and engaging, they get to know their customers at a personal level and can provide better advice about their products and services. Local traders value your business more since their survival depends on their good reputation and repeat business. They can often adapt their products to suit your personal requirements, or source something bespoke for you, which big chains won’t do.
5) It’s better for the environment
Shopping local means less mileage and petrol costs for you, which helps reduce CO2 emissions. Plus local shops often stock locally sourced goods which not only supports the local economy but also reduces transport times and costs of the goods, which impacts positively on their carbon footprint. We know it’s tempting to default to the big chains or to buy online. But shopping locally is usually just as cost-effective and convenient, plus you are supporting your local community, rather than putting money in nameless and faceless shareholders’ pockets.
Five Reasons to Shop Local
When you buy from a small business an actual person does a little happy dance!
MM PLUMBING
All types of general plumbing carried out, including fitting new taps, showers & toilets.
Most types of repairs carried out, dealing with leaks & overflow problems. We also carry out complete Bathroom & Kitchen Installations. We can either supply & fit everything or we are happy to fit anything supplied by yourselves.
Friendly, efficient & professional service. We are happy to offer free advice & quotations.
07784 944814 | mikelondon@aol.com
Adult Learning Lewisham
Day, Evening and Weekend courses
All photos are of our classes
Study from your home with our online courses! Art, cookery, computing, family learning, keyboard, health & fitness, languages, printmaking, singing, photography, supported learning and much more...
Find out more and enrol online: www.lewisham.gov.uk/adultlearning or call us on 020 8314 3300
Stay home as much as possible If you do have to go out, keep your distance from other people (2 metres apart wherever possible) and only meet up with one other person from another household, outdoors and at 2 metres distance. Travel by car or bicycle if possible Keep washing hands regularly and the moment you get home if you have been out The advice for those aged 70 and over continues to be that they should take particular care to minimise contact with others outside of their household
For the latest advice, please refer to www.gov.uk/coronavirus
N o w ! B O O K
07507 407 289 | 020 8693 8101 dulwichcarpetcompany.co.uk stephen@dulwichcarpetcompany.co.uk
We are a daytime cafe, serving breakfast, brunch and lunch. We serve speciality coffee, we have a variety of loose leaf teas, smoothies, milkshakes and freshly squeezed juices. We are based right outside Forest Hill train station.
020 8699 9454 | @lazychefforesthill
@lazychefforest
There are options to come for just 1 hour (£5) and 2 hours (£10) and 3 hours (£15). For all abilities. When life drawing, short poses are excellent for training the eye and the hand and building the ability to sum up the essence of the figure with economy. Each hour will start with short poses and work up to two or three ten minute poses. This is a familiar format for life drawing sessions which most of us find very satisfactory. Whilst the session runs for three hours it is possible to attend one, two or three hours, as works for you. Joining or leaving the group happens promptly on the hour. The Dulwich Art Group & School.
www.dulwichartgroup.co.uk.
Tuesdays 2, 9, 16, 23 & 30 June: Live Stream Short Post Life Drawing 2pm-5pm. This is a live stream art class. Untutored but advice is always available.
10am-1pm. This is a live streamed, online class on life drawing with the Dulwich Art Group. Untutored sessions with a long pose generally held for three weeks giving the artist a chance to produce a more considered piece of work. Our models are carefully chosen and are lit with professional lights. Advice is always on tap but we tend to leave you to your own devices unless encouraged. The atmosphere is relaxed and friendly the quality of attention is always excellent. The Dulwich Art Group & School.
www.dulwichartgroup.co.uk.
Wednesday 3 June: Online New Mums’ Group
10.30am-12pm. Free online weekly drop-in group for mothers with children under one. Becoming a mother can come with a range of feelings, both positive and negative. Many mums feel worried and confused if they are struggling with negative feelings after having a baby. This free online group, will provide a supportive environment where mothers can get together with others who may be struggling with one or more aspects of being a mum. This could be feeling low in mood, anxiety about being a good parent, feeling isolated and lonely, sadness about changes in your relationships, etc. The group is facilitated by assistant psychologists at Circle Psychology Partners and under the supervision of Dr Christine Langhoff, a clinical psychologist who specialises in perinatal difficulties. All sessions are free and will be held using Zoom. You will need to register in order to access the link to join each session. www.bellhouse.co.uk
Wednesday 3 June: Celebrating 25 years of Multi-Sensory Teaching with Dr Susie Nyman
7.00pm. Join Dr Susie Nyman’s online webinar showcasing her ‘Multi-sensory Toolkit’ strategies based on 25 years teaching in Early Years to Key Stages 1-5. www.bellhouse.co.uk.
6pm. Help for NHS frontliners mainly with free attendance, and anyone else can join in too for the price of coffee and cake! Zoom links at Reiki page: www.themindbodyandsoulcoach.com
BEST EVER PRICES FOR FLEXIBLE BOOKINGS
Come & try our range of beautiful pianos Playing piano is fun for all the family!
Also helps your child get ahead at school. Pianolobby is in SE London & we are experts in matching people to their ideal upright piano.
Please call Julian on 020 3645 3930 or email: julian@pianolobby.co.uk | www.pianolobby.co.uk
Thursdays 4, 11, 18 & 25 June: BNI Adventurers (online meeting)
6.45am-8.30am. Are you looking to grow your business? We have kept £9.4million in the local economy this year alone. We’ve changed the way the world does business……now it Dulwich’s turn. Please contact Hayley on 07843 989728 for more information.
www.facebook.com/adventurersbni/
Saturdays 6, 13, 20 & 27 June: SoLo Craft Fair’s Virtual Craft Market
Takes place every Saturday 12-2pm on our Instagram Stories, each market showcases products from between 150-250 makers.
www.solocraftfair.com
6pm. Help for NHS frontliners mainly with free attendance, and anyone else can join in too for the price of coffee and cake! Zoom links at Reiki page: www.themindbodyandsoulcoach.com
10am-1pm. This is a live streamed, online class on life drawing with the Dulwich Art Group. Untutored sessions with a long pose generally held for three weeks giving the artist a chance to produce a more considered piece of work. Our models are carefully chosen and are lit with professional lights. Advice is always on tap but we tend to leave you to your own devices unless encouraged. The atmosphere is relaxed and friendly the quality of attention is always excellent. The Dulwich Art Group & School.
www.dulwichartgroup.co.uk.
8pm. Help for NHS frontliners mainly with free attendance, and anyone else can join in too for the price of coffee and cake! Zoom links at:
www.themindbodyandsoulcoach.com
WE ARE HERE We Design It or You Design It We Print & Finish
It FOR YOU DESIGN & PRINT WEDDING STATIONERY BUSINESS CARDS RUBBER STAMPS I N V I T A T I O N S F O R A N Y O C C A S I O N LETTERHEADS ORDER OF SERVICE INVOICES PRICE LISTS POSTERS BANNERS MENUS NEWSLETTERS FUNERAL PROGRAMS POST CARDS BROCHURES MAILSHOT SERVICE ENVELOPES FLYERS TICKETS RECEIPTS
T: 020 7639 6764 • info@quick-print.org.uk
UICKPRINT
The Family Business serving you for nearly 50 years .... Come and see why
SAME DAY QUALITY SERVICE
Open : Mon. - Fri. 9am - 7pm Sat. : 10am - 5pm www.quick-print.org.uk 20 Maxted Rd, SE15 4LF entrance Oglander Rd. Fax: 020 7639 3904
Stephen J. Smith F.C.C.A.
Local Chartered Certified Accountant with 30 years small business experience Small Business Accounting Financial Administration & Reporting Payroll VAT Personal Tax Advice Tax Compliance Inheritance Tax Advice
Constable & Toop Funeral Directors
48 Nuxley Road, Belvedere DA17 5JG 01322 438 137
589 Downham Way, Bromley (Grove Park) BR1 5HX 020 8695 1940 53 Honor Oak Park, Forest Hill SE23 1EA 020 8291 0811 Our Forest Hill Funeral Home is a collection point for Lewisham Food Bank
Grow Your Own Fresh Herbs
Garden Talk with Janine Winlaw | Instagram @janinewinlaw
Sage
This is another drought tolerant sun lover that hates soggy roots. Sage has lovely silvery leaves and there are varieties with golden leaves and the stunning purple sage, which looks stunning in full sun - they look great in borders with lavenders and other Mediterranean herbs. To keep them compact and avoid them getting leggy, they need a prune in early spring and again after flowering. As well as stuffing try sage with pork or in sage butter.
Bay
This is a vigorous shrub that can get huge in the ground but can be trained into a ball or lollypop in a pot – it’ll need benefit from a yearly top dressing of mulch and given a monthly feed to keep it green and healthy. Bay leaves – fresh or dried - give a lovely flavour to stocks and soups. (Remove them before you do any blending!)
Rosemary
A must have herb – rosemary provides the garden with good evergreen presence and is tasty too - fab with roast lamb and roast veg. It has pretty flowers, varying in intensity, which comes early in the season, so are an excellent early bee magnet. It can get big but is easy to prune into a neat shape. R. ‘Benendon Blue’ and ‘Miss Jessopp’s Upright’ has a tall habit whereas creeping prostrate varieties are good hanging over walls. T here’s nothing nicer – or healthier - than cooking with fresh herbs picked from your own garden. Most are easy to grow and look fab, whether in borders, containers or raised beds. Mediterranean varieties prefer sun and free-draining soil - add coarse grit and organic matter to clay soil. Others, such as coriander, mint and parsley are happy in some shade, with plenty of moisture. Here’s some to try
Mint
Great in herbal teas and summer drinks, with roast lamb or in Middle Eastern dishes, mint is a great herb to have in a pot outside the door – it can be invasive in a border. As well as spearmint and peppermint, there are masses of different varieties to try including large woolly leaved apple mint, lemon mint, pineapple mint, and chocolate mint – nice in puddings! It Iikes rich moist soil and can tolerate shade. Keep picking it to encourage growth and divide it when it’s outgrown the container.
Thyme
An incredibly attractive and useful herb, this is a fab choice for a pot or sunny spot in the border. The tiny white, pink or purple flowers are very pretty so I like to pick the leaves early in the season then leave them to flower. You can then give the plan a prune afterwards to keep it compact. Like mint, there are lots of different varieties, from the low growing Thymus vulgaris to the more mound forming golden T. ‘Bertram Anderson’ and gorgeous variegated T. ‘Silver Queen’. A few fresh leaves are great in Mediterranean dishes like Bolognese or minestrone soup or for seasoning meat such as beef burgers.
Oregano (marjoram)
This spreading herb seems to thrive in the borders in our garden, carpeting the front of borders. Like thyme it’s lovely in flower – with pink or purple flowers that attract masses of bees and butterflies. Best harvested before the pretty flowers appear - strip off a few of the leaves for tomato-based dishes such as pasta sauce or Bolognese, or pop the woody stems in a bouquet garnet.
It’s pretty tough and easy to grow but prefers a free draining soil so add grit to clay soils.
Chives
Chives like sun and well-drained soil, but can grow in heavier soils in partial shade. Lift and divide them every few years. Although the flowers are pretty, snipping off buds will encourage growth. But you can eat the flowers in a salad and cut back the plant to the ground for a second flush. With a similar flavor to garlic and onions, they’ll liven up salads, eggs and cheese dishes.
Fennel
The tall feathery foliage of fennel looks lovely with other perennials in a border and the fab yellow flowers are followed by edible seeds. The fresh leaves are tasty in salads and with seafood and collect the dried seeds to make teas.
Basil
Grow in pots on a warm windowsill indoors or outside and avoid overwatering. It’s a very tender annual so don’t plant out until after the last frosts. You can grow it from seed or small
plants – I bought a pot from the supermarket and divided it into five or so different pots. Sweet basil and Greek basil are two good varieties to look out for. Delicious sprinkled on pizzas or tomato and mozzarella salad or blend with pine nuts and Parmesan to make your own pesto.
Neuter your Cat for £5
Do you live in our Bromley area (BR1 - 5 or SE20, SE23 & SE26) and would like some help to get your cat neutered? We are offering you the chance to have your cat neutered for just £5.
For more information please contact Bromley Cats Protection on :
020 8650 5556
www.cats.org.uk/bromley/contact-us
Reg Charity 203644 (England and Wales) SC037711 (Scotland) NEU_2343
