Business owners: 'Without the EDP I'm not sure we would have made it'

Business owners and politicians have highlighted the importance role regional media played during the coronavirus pandemic.

Independent retailers have said if were not for the support of the Eastern Daily Press their year in lockdown might have proved even more challenging.

Leanne Fridd, who owns Bookbugs and Dragon Tales in Norwich's Timberhill alongside husband Dan, said: "We’re so happy to still be here and without the Eastern Daily Press fighting our corner relentlessly I’m not sure we would have made it."

Bookbugs and Dragon Tales owners Leanne and Dan Fridd Picture: Sonya Duncan

Coverage has included campaigns such as Shop Local, which encouraged shoppers to spend with independents in the local economy, and Fightback East, which pushed government and policymakers to come up with a plan for East Anglia in the long term.

Mrs Fridd added: "When Covid hit 10 months after our business opened, and just as we thought we were beginning to become known to the city and county, we were incredibly down. But the EDP sprung into action to support us and other local retailers.

"Whenever key dates hit throughout the crisis they were so on it with getting quotes and running stories about how important independent retailers are to the heart and soul of our city, and how to support us through online, click and collect and local deliveries.

"They have been so supportive of our fledgling business and helped us reach across the county with articles about our fun windows, events and books."

She was echoed by North Norfolk MP Duncan Baker, who said: "Over the course of the pandemic I have worked closely with the Eastern Daily Press on its incredibly important campaigns to support local businesses, suppliers and communities, as I welcome any initiative to support the regional economy.

"It was also important for us to work with local media when it came to discussing the tier systems and why it was so important for Norfolk to be viewed as an autonomous area and not as a wider part of the East of England - particularly when our businesses and people had worked so hard to keep the infection rates down.

"Campaigns like Fightback East also gave us the opportunity to discuss how we will recover as a region moving forwards"

Mr Baker was echoed by Stefan Gurney, chief executive of the Norwich BID who said: "In our work marketing the city to visitors, we have always placed high value on the large number of quality local, independent businesses in and around Norwich.

"They offer something different, unique - and the city’s independent spirit is one of the reasons people travel here for a long or short break. But local businesses cannot survive on visitors alone; they need residents to shop, buy from and visit them all year round.

Stefan Gurney of Norwich BID (Image: Copyright Hannah Hutchins 2020)

"Over the past year, the spotlight has been on our local businesses, with campaigns such as the EDP’s Shop Local campaign acting as a real champion when it comes to raising the profile of Norwich’s businesses to the wider Eastern region.

"And we’ve been so pleased to see that the Norwich community has been such a supportive force, when the need for collaboration and neighbourliness has never been greater.

"The public have taken ownership of supporting local businesses - as they have seen business supporting them - and this is something we hope will continue as we move further out of lockdown."

This opportunity was echoed by Mrs Fridd, who said: "So many big high street names are disappearing which is awful, especially for the staff, but I do believe this is an opportunity for Norwich to reinvent itself and to become even more of a destination and for customers to discover the value in small, unique community focussed businesses paying fair wages and taxes and finding innovative ways to make shopping local work for them."

‘We are right behind you’ – business editor, Richard Porritt

The business team began hearing fears about the potentially impact Covid might have on our region back in January 2020.

It was the business community – perhaps not surprisingly – who understood the chaos the disease would ravage first.

Quickly we realised every business had a story to tell whether it was a pivot towards doing something new, a story of online success or the fight just to survive.

I was determined to tell those stories. My team worked tirelessly because we wanted to do anything we could to help whether that was lobbying government for more support or simply directing potential customers to a new online service.

Our Shop Local campaign before Christmas urged people to pick an independent firm for their festive gifts and now Fightback East is piling pressure on government to help our region prepare to bounce back stronger.

The past year has been tough. But we were determined to be there for our business community.

The fallout from the pandemic will go on. And so will our fight.