Why I'm giving away the things I am

Hello!

I hope by now you’ve noticed the giveaways at the bottom of my newsletter, each month, and perhaps entered the draw to win them.

You’ve probably also noticed they’re not the high-cost prizes of Kindles or gift cards that other people give away, and perhaps because of that you’ve decided not to bother. That’s okay, I don’t mind. But I thought I’d explain why I’m giving away the things I’m giving away.

As you know, from a previous newsletter, I love my local bookshop. Well… I also love all my other local shops too. My town isn’t big, and there are only four or five high street names on our high street - and I want to support them.

So, I decided to seek out giveaway prizes that are not only independently sold, but locally sourced. Last month’s soap was handmade locally and sold at our May Fair; the first prize, the daisy necklace, was made by a local lady who sells her work through a pop-up craft shop.

None of the prizes will be more than £5, because I’m not sponsored and do not have an unlimited supply of Kindles under my bed. But it’s amazing what you can find for a fiver.

One thing I keep failing to do is include business cards in the packages I send to people. I will try, because I’d love to share the creators of these wonderful finds with you as well.

I hope this brief explanation will encourage you to enter the draws each month, so you can do your bit to help me support small businesses. I don’t plan on putting restrictions on the number of times you can win a prize either, so you could end up winning more than once.

Do you still have independent shops on your high street or have they been pushed out in favour of bigger names? Do you use them, or do you revert to online shopping to find that perfect, unique gift?