1st June is Dorset’s County Flag day. A day that was earmarked as a special commemorative day by the county to extol its virtues.
After what has been a very difficult period for small businesses across Dorset, and particularly for businesses in the hospitality, leisure and retail sector, FSB has chosen to celebrate our diverse and vibrant small businesses across the county, and share why they love living and working in Dorset, across Twitter and Facebook on June 1st, this #DorsetDay.
FSB asked all 17 businesses they are featuring, what makes Dorset special as a place to be in business?
The number one reason that came up time and again, was that Dorset offers a fantastic opportunity for lifestyle provided by its diverse landscape, summed up by Poole based Treecall’s Rowena Smith: “Dorset has got an impressive variety of landscapes, from coast and rocks to downs and woods”.
Health, wellbeing and sense of community is an important factor. Local Food Links Ltd is a community owned social enterprise organisation. They have three kitchens based in Bridport, Blandford and Weymouth. Chief Executive Caroline Morgan says: “Dorset has some of the best weather in the UK and the longest life expectancy in Britain. And along with our picture postcard villages and vibrant towns bursting with independent places to eat, drink and shop at a very relaxed pace, we are also home to many suppliers producing local homegrown produce, many of which we use in our school meals – Dorset is also known as the best kept secret in the South West."
Many of the businesses highlighted why Dorset is such a thriving place to do business, and articulate the sense of responsibility that businesses feel as custodians of this beautiful county.
Stephen Varley, from Bournemouth based specialist paint manufacturers, Technical Paint Services said: “We moved the business from West London 20 years ago, having been there since 1946, to enjoy bigger, more affordable premises and a friendly available pool of skilled labour. Personally, I love the miles of wonderful beach walking."
Poole based Cocobolo creates bespoke designer soft furnishings. Mike Hicks from Cocobolo says: “Geographically Dorset has it all, beaches, forests and links to cities and across the Channel. There's also a strong entrepreneurial culture and willingness to partner with other businesses to facilitate a great result for the customer. It's a great place to live and find friendly happy staff who enjoy the challenge of working in our industry.”
The Embroidery Barn offers high quality, sustainable embroidery and printing services from their premises in Winterborne Herringston, just outside Dorchester. Tiana from The Embroidery Barn says: “Being based in Dorset is great as there is so much local natural beauty which really inspires our sustainable approach to our work. We want to make sure the local landscapes stay beautiful for many years to come and we plan to help make this happen. As well as this we love the sense of community in the county. It is so great to see so many people wanting to stick to local suppliers!"
Supporting our local businesses supports the local economy, creates jobs and provides a boost. Research on spending by local authorities shows that for every £1 spent with a small or medium sized business, 63p stayed in the local economy, compared with 40p with a larger business.
Enjoy #DorsetDay and please keep supporting our small businesses to keep the county thriving.