WESTBOURNE is to be the centre of attention when the Small Business Saturday national tour comes to Bournemouth.

The tour, which starts on October 24 in Aberdeen, will finish at Westbourne on Friday, November 25.

Its bus will be at Landseer Road from 10am-2pm, with the road closed.

The tour aims to promote the Small Business Saturday campaign to both consumers and small business owners.

Organisers say the arrival of the Small Business Saturday UK team brings opportunities for traders in Westbourne to engage with the campaign.

Westbourne Business Association chairman Lia Martin said: “We are delighted that the Small Business Saturday bus is coming to Westbourne. It’s a brilliant opportunity for businesses to engage with national business professionals.”

Kate Shaw, from Westbourne based public relations firm KTPR, said: “It’s great that Westbourne is on the map and flying the flag for small businesses in our district. It’s really good to get the Westbourne name out there on a national platform too.”

Tracie Beardsley of Fab Frocks Occasion Wear and Melanie Mogford of Beach and Body said in a joint statement: “Westbourne is one of the last bastions of independent retailers in the county. We are really proud of our diverse and unique choice and variety of retailers that we have here.

“Let’s hope that the public recognise that Small Business Saturday is a fantastic opportunity to get to know all that is out there on their doorsteps…a diverse mix of shops, bars, restaurants and professional services.”

Small Business Saturday itself takes place on December 3 and has the theme Small Business, Big Difference.

Small Business Saturday is in its fourth year in the UK. Last year’s event saw an estimated £623million spent with small businesses on the day – up by £119m on the year before.

The not-for-profit campaign was founded by American Express in the US in 2010 and the financial services company remains its principal supporter in the UK.

It is backed by bodies including the Federation of Small Businesses and Enterprise Nation and supported by PRS For Music, TalkTalk Business, Vistaprint, Post Office, Clear Channel and STIHL.

Logos, digital banners, a social media guide and toolkits can be downloaded at smallbusinesssaturdayuk.com, while businesses can upload information about promotional offers for the day at the My Small Business Finder section of the site.