A ONE-WOMAN campaign to help Stourbridge businesses fight back against the impact of Covid this Christmas has snowballed into a social media group of more than 1,200 members.

Joanne Sparks had one of those ‘sofa ideas’ a month or do ago and after talking it through with her family she launched her own online ‘Buy Local’ campaign.

Stourbridge Christmas Gifts is attracting buyers and local shops to try to make sure local people can buy a local Christmas gift if its available.

Now Joanne, a support worker at Old Swinford Hospital School, wants to make sure that the group is not only for Christmas.

She hopes that after the festive season it can transform into a group that continues to support local business and the local community by ‘talking and sharing.’

She says that most of the time the Facebook page she runs is used by people asking where they can get certain items locally and then getting helpful responses.

“It has been such a difficult time and I thought it would be a good idea to encourage people to buy local,” she said.

“I didn’t think much more about it but people started to join and share. It’s been really good with lots of positive feedback.

“Between them people are helping each other.

“I’m hoping to evolve it to continue to support local businesses and the members.”

Examples of some of the business using the page are: SionBree Photography; Castle Home Interiors; Vicky Yorke Designs; The Vitality Lounge; Gluten Free Helly- author of Glunten Dairy and Meat Free Christmas Cookbook (Apple Books)