Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney representatives, Gerald Jones MP and Dawn Bowden AM spent Saturday visiting a host of local retailers, to showcase the high quality goods that can be bought by shopping locally.

Small Business Saturday takes place on the first Saturday in December each year. The event encourages small businesses to promote themselves and work together with other small businesses and consumers to ‘shop local’ and support the small businesses in their communities.

Through the day, Dawn and Gerald visited a number of businesses across Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney, including Moktar’s Kitchen, The Barber Shop, Sunflowers, Shuzz, Bumbletree, Trendy Tots Baby Boutique in Market Square, Santa’s Grotto, Sweet Essence, Weekend Offender, Oporto, Sugar and Swirls, Emporium Merthyr and finishing at the Redhouse.

Speaking after the visits, Gerald Jones MP said:

“Small Business Saturday is an excellent way to show support for our local businesses which are the cornerstone of our communities. As we approach the festive period, I’m hopeful that people from across the Constituency will support local high street shops and businesses and continue that support into the new year. Christmas is a great time to support local businesses but we need to extend that support to ensure that the shops along our High streets have a viable future.”

Dawn Bowden said:

“Small Business Saturday is a fantastic initiative and I congratulate everyone involved. It has been great chatting to the traders on Merthyr High Street.

“Small businesses really are at the heart of our community in Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney.  Shopping local this Christmas and throughout the year helps our local economy by keeping money in our community.”