THE MP for Barrow in Furness has thrown his support behind our campaign to back independent family-run businesses during the coronavirus crisis.

Simon Fell agrees with The Mail and our sister newspapers in Newsquest Cumbria that it's more important than ever before to shop local.

"We need to support independent and family-run businesses now more than ever," said Mr Fell.

"I’d urge everyone to shop local to keep those vital local shops running. While doing so, please respect the NHS advice on staying safe and healthy."

Tim Farron, MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, and businesses including Sellafield, Planet Windows, Kimberly Clark and Armstrong Watson have also thrown their weight behind our campaign. All independently owned businesses are being offered the opportunity to have a free advert in our titles next week to help them spread their ‘shop local’ message to as many customers as possible in an extremely challenging and unprecedented time.