WE’RE lucky in East Lothian to be home to so many excellent local businesses – they are part of the lifeblood of our towns and villages.

We know that the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown have made life incredibly tough for businesses across the county – and we know they need our support now more than ever.

So today, we at the East Lothian Courier are proud to launch our ‘Love Local Business’ campaign and urge people to back local businesses as they attempt to bounce back from the pandemic.

Shops, pubs, cafes, restaurants and much more throughout the county were forced to close their doors due to lockdown-related restrictions.

Now, as restrictions are eased, East Lothian’s MP and Provost have joined the Courier in urging people to ‘Love Local Business’ and get behind independent businesses.

Kenny MacAskill, MP for East Lothian, was pleased to back the campaign.

He said: “While the governments rightly focus on maintaining the national economy, our high streets and local businesses are the backbone of our local economy here in East Lothian.

“We are rightly proud of our status as a tourist hub and we’re lucky to have so much choice in our towns and villages.

“If we want to conserve the huge local benefits that come from local traders, we will all need to play a part.

“Many of our local businesses were pivotal in supporting the community during lockdown. They proved themselves to be an important part of our community.

“Now it’s time for us to repay that support.

“Not only is it good for the local economy, it makes sense for us all as well. The quality of the food and drink; the arts and crafts; the tourism and leisure; and the tradespeople across East Lothian are fantastic. As a constituency, we produce so much of such a high quality that it makes sense to shop local.”

Provost John McMillan is East Lothian Council’s spokesman for economic development and tourism.

He said: “East Lothian Council has launched its Stay Safe, Support Local, Love East Lothian campaign to highlight the work we are doing, in partnership with national organisations and our local businesses, to build East Lothian’s economy, support businesses to re-open safely, encourage local residents to continue to support their local businesses whenever possible and re-open East Lothian to tourists in a safe way.

“We are also very pleased to be supporting the East Lothian Courier’s Love Local Business campaign as our aims are very much aligned.

“During the Covid-19 crisis, we have seen many businesses adapt and continue trading, and provide a first-class service to our communities.

“I’m sure our residents will want to continue to support these businesses and give a warm welcome to those who sadly had to close but can now re-open.

“We have such a diverse business community across East Lothian from our wonderful hospitality industry, world-class food and drink providers, unique retail offering and, of course, our larger industry and hugely important local employers.

“We need to come together in our communities to support local wherever possible to protect local jobs and our economy and indeed to encourage expansion.”

We all love our local businesses – let’s rally together now and show them the support they need to get through this tough time.