At Country Living we celebrate the wonderful British countryside in all its guises, but it’s been difficult to find much to cheer about this summer. For many, the lack of sunshine means merely paler skin and the cancellation of a barbecue or two, but for small rural businesses, relying on good weather to bring in customers, the continuing rain has proved catastrophic.
Small businesses exhibiting at country shows have been especially hard hit. There are Country Living marquees at seven countryside shows each year. This summer, three of these – Badminton Horse Trials, The Great Yorkshire Show and The CLA Game Fair have already been cancelled resulting in millions of pounds of lost revenue for those involved in the shows and for the local economy too.
This prompted us to launch ‘Show Support’, an online directory of the small businesses we work with throughout the year. They make and sell wonderful products. Log on to their websites for a closer look. I do hope you will feel inspired to buy.
And if you know of a small rural business that is struggling due to the unseasonal weather, be it a craft shop, campsite or café, tell us about it, we want to hear from enterprises across the country, from Cornwall to the Cairngorms, to add them to our directory and introduce them to our readers.
Susy Smith, Editor Country Living
