CELEBRATING PEOPLE & PLACE ON SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY!

Today, on Small Business Saturday, we are thrilled to announce that our London Trades Guild CLT has won a space on Footwork Trust’s People and Place Programme for 2025! This East End Trades Guild Initiative for permanently affordable rent for small businesses providing social value was one of ten projects chosen from around the UK out of hundreds of applications. This recognition of our vital work is important for all our members and everyone who joined our CLT  via crowdfunding last year. This is a significant step forward as we extend our network to an even wider pool of talented committed people with the connections, skills and resources to ensure we pull off this bold endeavour!

In April, we set out our exciting ambitions in our Manifesto for the New Economy and thanks to the hundreds of thousands of people who joined our solidarity campaign to Stand With Len from JC Motors we are now much closer to realising this dream. Len Maloney’s grace and generosity during this difficult time is an inspiration to all. At our last CLT meeting, he told community members “This isn’t about me, it’s about us!”

Thanks to everyone supporting Len from JC Motors our community has by default supported all small businesses that provide social value and helped to build the resilience Len needed to get through a painful and unnecessary eviction by Transport for London and Places for London. Simultaneously strengthening local solidarity and creating the case for why our work is needed and wanted by Londoners. 

CONGRATULATIONS to all those who signed our letter to the Mayor of London, who chipped into crowdfunding, who showed up to meetings and actions! It is due to our collective perseverance and teamwork that we have got this far and will continue to be this same combination that will secure community-owned bricks-and-mortar small business premises. To this end please see our updated letter to the Mayor of London and add your name here to meaningfully support Small Businesses for the long term because Small Businesses are not just for Christmas!

Look for the EETG sticker in the windows of East London businesses and make a conscious consumer choice by spending your money with your neighbours and any small business. Don’t underestimate your consumer power to enhance community wealth, wellbeing and to have an environmental impact too! Peruse our members on our website to find character, distinctiveness and quality!

Top 5 reasons to #shopindependent this Christmas and always;

1. For community wealth: Research has shown that up to 70p of every £1 spent goes back into the local economy compared to 40p from big biz
2. It’s environmentally friendly: Members have localised supply chains and buy only what they need, local shops and other biz have fewer food miles and a smaller carbon footprint. When you buy from a local butchers or farm shop, that produce usually has a short ‘field-to-fork’ journey. It’s also likely to have less plastic packaging.
3. Sustainable, beautiful value for money: Products are built to last and not for the landfill, these products will delight recipients because they won’t have seen them on every high street.
4. Support local employment: #SmallBiz provide 61% of all employment in the UK often pay better wages with more caring workplaces. Many members are accredited @livingwagefoundation employers.
5. Feel the love: from the care, attention and pride that goes into human-scale enterprise. Our members are small enough to know and care about all their employees, suppliers and customers. It is personal because it is small business.

Here are some highlights from the last year! Thank you to volunteer photographers Rachel Ferriman and Sarah Ainslie and to EETG Volunteers Rhodri Burnett and Rhea Martin!