A CAFÉ IN OKEHAMPTON had a special visit today from local MP Mel Stride who was in town to promote Small Business Saturday on 4th December.
Mr Stride, who travelled into Okehampton on the new Dartmoor Line, joined Devon County Councillor Lois Samuel and West Devon Borough Councillor Kevin Ball in visiting 3 East Street, owned and run by Rebecca Green. During the visit Rebecca shared her experiences of the Government’s Kickstart Scheme, which helps employers create jobs for 16 to 24 year olds on Universal Credit, and introduced Mel to three young members of staff on the scheme. Mel and Rebecca also discussed Okehampton Community Kitchen – a non-profit community organisation that Rebecca runs which provides free healthy meals to local residents in need.
Rebecca said:
“Okehampton has a fantastic variety of shops and other small businesses. We need people in and around Okehampton to shop locally through the winter and help the town bounce back from what has been a very challenging two years. This Saturday is an ideal time to start your Christmas shopping here in Okehampton!”
Mel added:
“It was great to meet Rebecca and get valuable first-hand feedback on the Kickstart Scheme and to meet some of the young people benefiting from it. The work Rebecca and her volunteers do through the Community Kitchen is hugely important.”
Echoing Rebecca’s call to shop locally Mel added:
“Small Business Saturday is a great initiative that shines a light on the small businesses that make market towns like Okehampton what they are. Collectively we can make a big difference to our local economy by shopping locally as often as we can and popping out for the odd meal or a drink in a wonderful café like 3 East Street.”
Now in its ninth year in the UK, Small Business Saturday has grown significantly each year with a record £1.1 billion spent with small businesses on the day in 2020.
For more information about 3 East Street visit www.facebook.com/3eaststreet.