Got a favourite Leighton Buzzard business? Shopping voucher prize to encourage support for independent traders

Leighton Buzzard retailers have taken on board the Covid-19 safe shopping practices and still deliver their service with a smile.

As customers, its important to carry on ‘keeping it local’ with our spend and you might be surprised at just how much of what you need can be bought locally.

To help people buy locally, Leighton-Linslade Town Council has funded shopping vouchers to the total of £20 each for 50 lucky winners.

A total of £1,000 has been put aside to encourage customers to use their town centre independent shops.

Lucky voucher winners will be able to redeem them in participating shops. So far 18 independent shops have signed up to the scheme.

The competition to win £20 worth of vouchers will be launched on Tuesday, September 1 on the town council’s social media platforms: @LLTCNews (Instagram and Twitter) and Leighton-Linslade Town Council Official (Facebook).

The council wants to see a photo of your favourite shop and to know why it is your favourite?

Is it the product, the quality of service or another reason that makes it worthy of being your favourite?

There is a special competition email to send your entries to and the address will be published on September 1 – keep an eye out for it as entries not posted to the correct address will not be counted.

The deadline for sending in competition entries is 5pm on September 13 and 50 lucky winners will be notified by September 22. Once received, there will not be any hanging around as the vouchers must be spent by October 31, 2020.

Cllr, Amanda Dodwell, chair of the Cultural and Economic Services Committee overseeing the project, said: “It’s so important to support our town centre businesses right now. The voucher scheme is part of our larger ‘Welcome Back’ campaign encouraging customers to return to the towncentre and use their local shops.”

The vouchers will help businesses and customers alike at a time when change is hitting may people financially.

Encouraging people into the town centre also helps them realise that it is a safe place to come and do their shopping.