A Plea to Save Leigh Tradesmen (March 1991)
In March 1991 – a concerned villager wrote the following in the Leigh Parish Magazine:
Three inches of snow on the roads – and the village shops see an influx of customers who usually shop at Sainsbury, Safeway and Tesco.
In 1950, Leigh still benefitted from a shoe repairer at the Brickmakers, a cycle and radio shop in Lower Green, two builders, two garages; Healy’s and Moon’s, a dairy, five public houses, a butcher, two bakers, three grocers, a general store and a hairdresser
Whilst no one can stem the inevitable impact of competition, it is not just price that should determine where we shop: community and convenience must also be important considerations. If we fail to take a broader view, we could well find the village increasingly less able to turn to local traders in an emergency – and this would present problems to many older people.