THE Westmorland Gazette has launched a new campaign this week, which aims to support and promote the local community.

Love Local encourages residents throughout South Lakeland, Eden, Furness, north Lancashire and North Yorkshire to band together and help each other during these difficult financial times.

The credit crunch is biting – but Love Local is designed to help the local community bite back!

In coming weeks and months, the campaign will focus on businesses, groups and individuals who are going out of their way to support each other and keep this community alive and vibrant.

Each story will be stamped by our special Love Local logo.

Welcoming the campaign, Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron said: “This sort of thing is absolutely crucial. We want to celebrate what is good about our area.”

One regular feature of Love Local will be Write Up Your Street. The aim is to turn the spotlight on those streets which are just off the beaten track – the ones that contain small, independent retailers and services – and to give them a much-needed boost by reminding everyone what a wealth of talents we have on our own doorsteps.

For the first ‘write-up’ we head for Stramongate, Kendal, where community spirit is alive and kicking.

No-one has ‘paid’ to take part in the promotion, but we have asked some of the businesses which have been given a mention if they will contribute to another new feature – good deals and special offers. Turn to page 11 to reap the benefits.

Commenting on ‘Write Up Your Street’, Tricia Allen of Kendal Sports in Stramongate, said: “You came along just the day after I had been thinking about trying to get everyone together to promote ourselves. It’s just what we need.”

Also delighted by the campaign was Alan Lloyd – ‘the pen man’ – whose hairdresser wife Brenda has had a salon in Stramongate for more than 40 years. “This will certainly help people, I am sure,” he said.