Since starting this website over 3 years ago I’ve really taken the whole ‘buy local’ attitude to heart. I’m the first to admit that prior to The Best Of Hertford I would happily jump online to buy a cd, or try something in a shop before finding it cheaper on a multi-national website. After all, I worked hard, had a mortgage and led a busy life. Time and money was a factor for me, so online retailing became a big part of my spending habits.

However, since starting The Best Of Hertford, my working days now consist of meeting local businesses, walking around town, speaking to shop owners and going to various town centre meetings, buying local has been a centre point of my life.

Now I’m not going to go on about why you should be buying local, that’s for you to discover yourself. But I will tell you about a new (ish) initiative that’s been set up to encourage the good people of Hertford to come offline and bring the town and its community back to their heart.

It’s called Focal Local and is currently just centred on Hertford, it’s a local business led initiative to let local people know just what exactly Hertford has to offer them. It’s not all about local businesses though, it’s about the places we walk, have fun and pass the time that Focal Local wants to promote too.

In fact it’s about EVERYTHING Hertford has to offer. Dog walks, rivers, parks, history, architecture and much more. Hertford is bursting at the seams with things to do and places to visit. So Focal Local has focused on those things and is now at the stage of bringing it to the public in an interactive and informative way.

The question Focal Local is asking, is…..What’s Your Hertford?

For many, Hertford is just an address, it’s where their home is, but it isn’t part of their lives. They may nip down to the farmers market, or have the occasional evening out in town. But they miss huge amounts of local events, don’t step foot in many of the brilliant and interesting independent shops or take any interest in Hertford’s rich heritage. Focal Local aims to change that by showing them what other peoples Hertford is, and asking the question back.

There’s a dedicated committee of local volunteers who have been meeting regularly all year to get this campaign driven forward and hopefully in November there’ll be a Focal Local market stall set up with the committee asking the passer-by’s what their Hertford is. Following that the plan is to turn peoples answers into a media campaign that will be in full view of everyone living in Hertford.

So, for now, please take a moment to think….What’s Your Hertford?

Thanks to the committee members who have given, and continue to give time and dedication to this project, they are:

• Jackie from Lance James The Jewellers in Hertford

• Charlotte from Oaks Hampers

• David from Knight Property Management

• Jan from Knight Property Management

• Paul from East Herts Council

• Melvin from Hertford Town Council

• Rod from Arthaus Galleries

• Phil from Churchills Estate Agents

• Rebecca from Art Links

It’s a pleasure to work on this with you all!

Thanks for reading!