WESTBOURNE was the final stop on a national tour to inspire the country to get behind Small Business Saturday.

Workshops and information were offered to help businesses make the most of the day on December 3.

Bournemouth council leader Cllr John Beesley welcomed the Small Business Saturday bus to town at the end of its ‘A to B’ tour, which started in Aberdeen and finished in Bournemouth.

He said: “Where could be better than Westbourne in preparation for Small Business Saturday?

“Westbourne is absolutely stacked out with small businesses. It’s thriving and really getting some great footfall from not only local people but from much further afield. That’s because the breadth of the offer is as wide as it could be.

“The offer includes retail, restaurants, some great coffee shops and everything that people want for a proper day out, not just a one-destination shop.”

He praised Westbourne Business Association, under chair Lia Martin, which had “really begun to go places”.

Michelle Ovens, director of Small Business Saturday, which is now in its fourth year, said: “These guys have done a lot for Small Business Saturday in the last few years. It’s nice to come and say thank you. We know there’s a thriving small business community here.”

She said there were still plenty of ways small businesses could get involved with the campaign.

“You can do something yourself or talk to your neighbour or talk to your council. You can download posters and logos from our website, you can go online and on social media,” she said.

“One of the things we would say is tell your customers, tell anyone coming through your door or if you’ve got an email database or social media, tell people it’s happening to give people an extra reason to come out and support small businesses.”

She said the campaign had seen a “huge increase” in spending in small businesses.

“Since year one you’re looking at about £150million more spent on Small Business Saturday each year. We get bigger and better every year,” she added.

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.