7 Reasons to Support Your Local Community ...

One of the best reasons to support your local community is that it helps maintain the character of the local area. Who enjoys living in a characterless district that is full of anonymous offices and chain stores? Shop in individual stores and eat in independent cafés and you help increase the likelihood that these stores will prosper and be able to stay open.

Being able to shop in local stores is incredibly convenient, especially when you work long hours. It's so annoying when you have to drive for miles to pick up groceries. There are many other amenities that it's preferable to have close by, such as a library, so use your local branch and show your support for this amazing facility.

Many of us want to live in a vibrant community rather than a soulless anonymous desert. People often complain about the loss of shops and other facilities, but if we don't use them, we should not complain when they have to close through lack of trade. Businesses need support to stay open, which means us spending our cash there - and non-profit organisations need our support in other ways.

If you dislike the low-quality products that chains often serve up, then shopping in your local community may be the answer. Small stores are more likely to stock locally-produced products rather than inferior imported ones. Look for food grown or produced by local suppliers, and you'll get tasty, nutritious food that hasn't flown halfway around the world.

Supporting your local community helps keep your money in the local area and strengthen its economy. If you only spend with national businesses, the money goes to shareholders and bosses. Spending locally means that money goes to people who live and work in the local area and care about it prospering.

Isn't it irritating when you realise that you're out of essentials or need to return your library books, and you have to drive for 45 mins to do so? Having such facilities close by is convenient, timesaving and allows for spontaneous decisions. But these facilities won't stay open if you don't use them and show your support. So make use of them and show that local people want them.

It's so much better when stores are not the same chains you see in so many places, but individual stores run by local people or people who care about the community. This creates a sense of individuality that many cities are lacking. So if you dislike that homogenous look that's all too common these days, patronise small businesses in your area and help keep its character alive.

Shopping and eating locally allows small local businesses to stay open. And there are other advantages as well as economic ones when you support your local community. Consider offering your time so that local charities and amenities can stay open. What is your favorite thing about where you live?