HOLMES Chapel residents are being urged to buy as much of their Christmas food and presents as possible in the village this year.

The call comes from Peter Whiers, project officer at Holmes Chapel Partnership, who said the group was very concerned about ‘the fate of our local traders’, and had begun to look at ways of supporting local businesses.

He said: “At least one of our local shops has already closed, and I fear others may suffer the same fate too.

“One thing we have already decided, is that we will continue to plan to hold our Christmas Fair on December 6.

“We will need to comply with Government guidance, and if there were to be a significant second wave we will need to reconsider our plans.

“However we believe this could be the year when we should all try to buy local for as much of our Christmas food and presents as we can.

“We hope the Christmas Market will offer you the chance to do just that.

“What have you bought in the village in the last month? And I am not just talking about food and drink.

“I ask this because I believe the pandemic will change our world of work, with many industries being badly affected and many will lose their jobs.

“It will also require people in our village to change career or perhaps start their own business from home.

“So, my challenge is to ask you to consider spending a bit more of your money locally if you can.

“Over the next few months the Partnership plans to support our local businesses through the establishment of a simple directory that allows you to find exactly who is doing what locally.

“One way you could spend money locally in August and get out of the house is to take advantage of the Eat out to Help Out Scheme, which is operating from Monday through to Wednesday throughout August.

“More than 30 establishments within a five-mile radius of Holmes Chapel, including our three local pubs and some cafes in Holmes Chapel, are participating.”