KEEP BCP ALIVE. SHOP LOCAL.
Sick of watching our towns slowly lose their spark?
High streets feeling quieter.
More empty units.
Places that used to feel full of life… not quite the same anymore.
And it’s not just about businesses.
It’s the litter.
The lack of care in some spaces.
That underlying feeling that things are slipping.
Because when places start to feel neglected, behaviour follows.
Less pride.
Less respect.
More issues creeping in.
We saw the opposite during the Step Up BCP Spring Clean.
When people came together to clean, plant and take care of their streets, something shifted.
People noticed.
People felt proud again.
And there’s real research behind that.
When places are looked after, antisocial behaviour can drop by up to 10–25%.
Not because of rules.
Because people care more about places that feel cared for.
The same applies to our high streets.
When we lose local independent businesses, we lose the character of our towns.
And the money doesn’t stay here either.
You’re not imagining it.
Across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, more people are defaulting to convenience.
Big corporations. One-click spending. Money leaving our area without a second thought.
And over time, we feel the impact.
Less footfall.
Less visibility for independents.
Less connection to the places we live.
Local businesses don’t disappear overnight.
They fade.
Quietly.
Until one day, they’re gone.
From April 21st, we’re changing that
We’re launching Community Over Corporations.
A simple, powerful movement to:
- Keep money in BCP
- Support independent businesses
- Rebuild pride in our towns
This isn’t about guilt.
It’s about awareness.
And action.
The £10 shift that changes everything
If each of us spent just £10 per week with a local independent business, that’s:
£3.95 million staying in our local economy every single week.
Not going to big corporations.
Staying here.
Supporting:
- Local jobs
- Local families
- Local high streets
- Local futures
That’s the power of small, consistent action.
What we’re asking everyone in BCP to do
This is where it becomes real.
Not complicated.
Not time-consuming.
Just consistent.
1️⃣ Spend £10+ locally each week
Choose a local business.
A coffee. A lunch. A gift. A service.
It all counts.
2️⃣ Take a photo or video
Show what you bought.
Show where you are.
Show the people behind it.
Keep it real.
3️⃣ Tag them + tag us
Tag the business and @stepup.bcp
Use: #stepupbcp
We’ll reshare and amplify it.
4️⃣ Do it once a week
One post. One business.
That’s how this builds.
How to make local your default
This isn’t about changing everything overnight.
It’s about changing where you start.
🛒 Plan a local shop day
Instead of heading straight to Tesco, try this.
Pick one day a week and shop local.
- Butcher for your meat
- Greengrocer for your veg
- Bakery for your bread
Places like Broadstone, Southbourne, Boscombe, Christchurch and Parkstone are full of independent businesses you can walk between.
It doesn’t work out as expensive as you think.
And it tastes so much better.
Same shop.
Completely different impact.
View the Step Up BCP Directory
☕ Swap one habit
- One coffee → independent café
- One takeaway → local business
- One gift → local maker
That’s how this starts.
View the Step Up BCP Directory
📲 Make it visible
This is the key.
When you share a local business:
- You give them visibility
- You build trust
- You help new customers find them
That one post matters more than you think.
For local businesses
You don’t have to do this alone.
👉 Join the Step Up BCP business community
From just 51p per month, you get:
- Monthly training that actually helps you grow
- Daily prompts so you’re never stuck
- A profile in the Step Up directory (visibility + SEO)
- A community of businesses supporting each other
For everyone in BCP
You don’t need a business to be part of this.
You just need to care about where you live.
👉 Explore the Step Up BCP directory
Find local businesses to support, follow and share.
Follow them.
Engage with their posts.
Comment. Share. Save.
It means more than you think.
This is how the tide turns
Not through one big campaign.
Through thousands of small actions.
One purchase.
One post.
One recommendation.
Repeated every week.
From April 21st, we go all in
This is your moment.
To stop defaulting to convenience.
To start choosing community.
To help bring life back into our towns.
Ready to step up?
- Spend £10 locally this week
- Share it on your socials
- Tag the business + @stepup.bcp
- Use #stepupbcp
Let’s make supporting local visible again.
Let’s make it normal again.
Let’s make it powerful again.
