Be Local – the UK’s first-ever Eco-Local Reward Card
The Weald’s leading hospitality and coworking hub, The Hive, introduces brand-new reward scheme to support local community and environment
Cranbrook, Kent, 1st June 2020: The Hive has today announced the launch of Be Local, the UK’s first ever eco-local reward card, in support of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust.
The initiative is designed to encourage local organisations and residents to continue to support local, as well as the environment, in the aftermath of Brexit and Covid-19.
The benefits of the Be Local Eco-local Reward Card are three-fold
- provide free advertising for local businesses and charitable organisations during 2020
- reward local households with a variety of deals and discounts
- support good causes and the environment
Local businesses and organisations (whether on the high street, surrounding areas or operating from home) will be able to claim a free business listing until the end of 2020, through which they can provide details of special offers on their products and services.
They will also benefit from window stickers and/or flowerbed signs making them instantly recognisable as part of the scheme. Local residents will then be able to take advantage of these offers – whenever they see a listing, window sticker or flowerbed sign – simply by quoting their Be Local membership number.
By the end of June 2020, a brand-new built-in ‘eco-barometer’ will highlight how close to home members shop or consume services. To help businesses monitor the effectiveness of their promotions, each reward card will contain a Be Local code indicating when the member joined, and which village or town they come from.
Be Local founder, Emma Wood, commented: “As we emerge from Brexit and the lockdown, never will it be so important to support one another so that our community and economy can once again thrive. With many consumers turning to the convenience of online shopping during lockdown, local businesses will need help to redefine and rebuild their offering as quickly as possible to win back the hearts of their customers. Collaborating with others will be the most effective way of achieving this”.
Wood continued: “To ‘be local’ in nature means considering factors such as customer service, quality, environmental impact and realising the value that can be added to the lives of those who live nearby. Anyone can order the cheapest products to be delivered from the other side of the world, but as we become increasingly concerned about the damage this does to the planet and our neighbourhood, more of us are choosing to support local”.
Supported Charity
The scheme will also help to raise funds for its chosen charity, the Bumblebee Conservation Trust. As food pollinators, bumblebees play a vital role in the food chain, and therefore, the UK economy. However, over time, we have greatly depleted the nationwide density of flowering plants on which bumblebees feed.
Speaking about the decision to support the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, Wood continued: “Part of our ‘support local’ ethos at The Hive is to help make our local environment more sustainable, and so we are proud to be supporting a charity which continues to increase the number and distribution of bumblebees in the UK.”
Bumblebee Conservation Trust Fundraising Manager, Nigel Madge, added: “We are delighted to be part of a scheme that will not only reward the local community, but will support bumblebees across the UK. We look forward to using the proceeds to fund the conservation work we undertake throughout the year in our quest to restore and create vital habitat for bumblebees”.
Sponsored by Enterprise Nation
The Hive is launching Be Local with financial support from sponsors and patrons, as well as investing part of its Covid-19 grant. Among the first sponsors of the scheme is Enterprise Nation, a national community of small businesses and business advisers offering support to local organisations across the UK.
Enterprise Nation founder, Emma Jones MBE, said: “When we heard about the scheme, we were quick to sponsor such a worthy cause. Be Local will enable organisations and residents to mutually benefit from supporting one another, while also contributing to a more sustainable environment. We know from our own Local Leaders initiative, that a firm network of local support is just what local communities need as we prepare to get back on our feet following such uncertain times this year.“
