Tomorrow (Saturday, 3 December), is Small Business Saturday and we urge you more than ever to shop small and keep it local.

Central Bedfordshire boasts a range of independent retailers based all over, on high streets and online, so make use of them.

We're also dedicated to improving the retail experience for everyone in the area and we have allocated £4million of funding through our Market Town Regeneration Fund programme to support our high streets and to ensure that local businesses can flourish. 

This two-year programme (from 2016 to 2018) is backed by the continuing work we are delivering in areas of regeneration, business support, employment and skills. The purpose of this programme is to:
• demonstrate a comprehensive approach to making better places
• unlocking barriers to growth
• creating economic uplift that improves the quality of local life.

Included in the Market Town Regeneration Fund, is a £1million fund to deliver high street improvement that will revitalise our market towns through improvements to shop fronts and tackling vacant retail units.

The High Street Improvement Scheme offers grants to high street businesses for improvements to their business premises to create shop frontages that attract more visitors and shoppers onto the high street.

Make the most of Small Business Saturday this weekend and find out about the wide range of small businesses that are available near you.