SPOT: Find A Local Business (FALB)

 SPOT: a slightly different format to the Roundtable discussions where we step back from the debate to Spotlight a Charity or in this case a local social initiative FALB (Find A Local Business) helping local independent businesses thrive. This SPOTlight compliments the Roundtable episode which lands Sunday 24 May, where we get into the High Street and challenges facing local businesses.

We go to Maidenbower Park Community Club in Crawley to join the fortnightly Friday FALB networking event - a grassroots community meet-up that makes supporting local businesses feel easy, social, and genuinely useful. Along the way, we talk about the real challenges independent traders face, including the quiet loneliness of working from home, and why a simple coffee chat can unlock collaboration, referrals, and confidence.

We also spotlight the below local businesses (please use the chapters to skip to relevant):

- Emma Hollamby, Emma Hollamby Photography: www.emmahollambyphoto.co.uk

- Michaela Bottner, Bloem Clinic: www.bloemclinic.co.uk

- Katy Clarke, Green Serene Beauty Therapy and Tropic Skincare with Katy: www.tropicskincare.com/katyclarke

- Tammy Hall, Stitched By T: @stitched_by_t

- Zoe Mills, Zoe Mills Photography: www.zoemillsphotography.com

- Amanda & Greger Young, Health Matters UK: www.healthmattersuk.co.uk (authors of 'Understanding Andropause' and 'The Men in Menopause')

- Rasa Maria, French Tutor at www.interlangue.co.uk AND Seamstress @recouture

To search for local businesses or to join as a member contact Nichola and the team at www.findalocalbusinesscrawley.co.uk

Please click on 'Send a text' above & join our Facebook group to share your perspective and suggestions for future topics - Thank you for your interest! Clive.

Transcript

Why Local Businesses Matter

SPEAKER_03 0:00

Statistics and stories tote box in the community. Supporting local charities, social initiatives and events that make a refreshing difference.

FALB At Maidenbower Community Club

SPEAKER_05 0:09

This week we're talking about local businesses and the challenges that they face and also the high street. And we thought it'd be a brilliant opportunity just to spotlight some local businesses that are making a difference in the community. And there's a lovely social initiative over at Maidenbauer in the Maidenbauer Park Community Club. Every other Friday, it's called FALB, Find a Local Business. And it's vibrant, lots and lots of people here. I've got a little group around me. So FALB, how are you finding it?

SPEAKER_07 0:36

Oh, I love it. I found it I think last year, and it's just so nice. Um having a small business can be a bit lonely, so it's nice to just pop out down the road, get a nice cup of coffee, have a chat to people, um, and just find out what sort of things they're doing, what's in the community around you. And one of the benefits I've um discovered is there are a few local businesses. I'm gonna give a little shout out to Rosa for being an amazing seamstress, um, and also Ali a smooth sou for her reflexology. Um, so just by chatting and having a coffee, you're feeling less lonely, you're finding services that actually can help you and benefit you as well. So I love it.

SPEAKER_05 1:17

So if you are also a local business and want to join this community, it's a great way to to share some of the some of the challenges, some of the solutions, and also collaborate.

Beating Small Business Loneliness

SPEAKER_00 1:27

Definitely, yeah. Um I'll echo what Emma said. I mean, it's lovely to just meet other businesses and actually you know be able to get out on a lunchtime um rather than stuck at home editing all day, which obviously I love, but it's yeah, it's great to just meet like-minded people.

SPEAKER_05 1:41

Did you do photography?

SPEAKER_00 1:42

Yes, yeah, great to meet like-minded people. There are two of us actually in this uh in this.

SPEAKER_05 1:46

Yeah, so you can compare notes and ideas as well. Another great opportunity. Um, and over to you. What have you enjoyed most about FALB?

SPEAKER_08 1:54

I've really enjoyed um meeting new people and also um the networking in the group is really it's basically um a lot less awkward than it is in real life, and because people buy from people, and so it's creating genuine connections with each other that I really enjoy.

How To Join And Find Members

SPEAKER_05 2:14

100%, and there's a WhatsApp group as well for those regular members that that that really want to get the maximum value. I know Nicola and her husband have put a lot of time and energy and feel very, very passionate about this and to make a difference. Nicola, well done by the way.

SPEAKER_06 2:30

Thank you.

SPEAKER_05 2:31

I know you're super shy and very humble with all of this, but I think we should give Nicola a big round of applause for setting this up. And if people want to find you, where can they find you?

SPEAKER_06 2:43

Uh it's FALP website, f a lb.co.uk.

SPEAKER_05 2:47

There we go, we got that out of you. See, give her a round of applause also. She didn't want to say anything, and she did. So that's F-A-L-B. If you're a local business, come and join the community. If you want to find a business, also take a little look through the list. There's amazing, incredible people, and we're going to hear from some of those this morning. Thank you very much.

Emma Hollamby Photography

SPEAKER_07 3:06

Thank you, thank you. Hello, I'm Emma, and I am Emma Hollandby photography. So I do wedding, business, and family photography. Um, so for weddings, you can find me at Emma Hollandby Weddings on Instagram and Emma Hollandby photography on Facebook. Aside from that, I also do business photography, which I really like, and I couple that a bit with um short form reels to really support fellow local businesses and small businesses just to showcase the work that they're doing and to really help sort of push what they're doing on social media. I also do family photography, and you can often find me at local children's events, and I do pop-up photos just for for busy, busy parents who don't have the time or always the funds to do a full-on photo shoot is just a nice way of getting uh a couple of pictures uh for your for your child's milestones. And my website www.emma hollenbyphoto.co dot uk.

SPEAKER_05 4:07

Thank you very much. A photographer, social media extraordinaire. Uh and not just for the kids' milestones, also for grandparents and getting that full full memory range, absolutely, yeah.

SPEAKER_07 4:18

It's really important, and actually you'll be surprised um with age how people really sort of look back and they do value the photos, and nice to get them out of the phone and into print as well. I think that's really important.

Bloem Clinic

SPEAKER_05 4:31

We're just showcasing a number of local businesses that are part of the FALB Find a Local Business. Brilliant initiative. What's your name and tell me about your business?

SPEAKER_09 4:40

So hi, my name is Michaela Buckner and I'm a medical herbalist and mycotherapy practitioner. I work mostly with women that have PCOS or IBS or any digestive issues. They come to me if they've maybe been struggling with their periods or fatigue issues, irregular cycles, and I help support them with herbal medicine and medicinal mushrooms. The most common stories I hear from my clients is that they've been to the doctors, they've been told that they're fine, but they know deep down that they're still struggling, their symptoms aren't changing, and they're looking for maybe an alternative path or a more natural way to support themselves, and that's where I come in with my herbs and mushrooms, and I support them on their health journey. And as herbalists, we view the body in a different way from doctors. We look at your body systems, what we call tissue states, energetics, and we use that to create a very bespoke herbal protocol for for you. So every person will have their own unique blend that I make for them and that will support them.

SPEAKER_05 5:34

And if you're listening and this is interesting to you, how might people reach out?

SPEAKER_09 5:38

So people can contact me through my website, which is www.bloomclinic.co.uk. Bloom is spelt B-L-O-E-M. Um or Instagram as well, Bloom Clinic or Facebook as well.

SPEAKER_05 5:51

Thank you very much.

SPEAKER_09 5:52

Thank you very much for having me.

Green Serene Beauty Therapy and Tropic Skincare with Katy

SPEAKER_05 5:53

We're just showcasing a number of local businesses that are part of the FALB Finder Local Business. Brilliant initiative. What's your name and tell me about your business?

SPEAKER_08 6:02

Hi there, I'm um Katie Clark, and um my business is Green Serene Beauty Therapy, um, where I do treatments um working from home, all sorts of facials, um, massage, and other holistic therapies. Um and alongside that I'm a Tropic Ambassador, which is a skincare, all natural, vegan, cruelty-free, no harsh chemicals or toxic ingredients in our products. Um, and if you'd like to get in touch, um you can follow me on Instagram, it's Tropic Skincare with Katie, or on Facebook, it's uh Green Serene Beauty Therapy.

SPEAKER_05 6:39

Lovely, and we're all about supporting local businesses this week. Thank you so much.

Stitched by T

SPEAKER_08 6:44

Thank you. Great to hear it.

SPEAKER_05 6:46

Now, Tammy, your products are a little bit nice, isn't it? It's handbags, pencil cases. Tell me more.

SPEAKER_02 6:51

Hi, I'm Tammy. I'm stitched by tea and I make handmade bags. I have some available to sell and I also make them to order. So if you want a particular size or a particular number of pockets, I can do that for you. One of my customers, I have ordered the fabric she chose so that she would have exactly what she wanted. I'm now looking at pencil cases, um, handbags, tote bags.

SPEAKER_05 7:16

And and this is a quality thing, isn't it? I I think, you know, if people want cheap and cheerful, they get that online. But we're noticing in society people are wanting quality products at a reasonable price and to support local businesses. Tell me more about the product because it it looks amazing.

SPEAKER_02 7:32

Thank you very much. Um my bags are all individual, not no two are the same, and I take a lot of time. My husband jokes and says to me that if I haven't unpicked it at least three times, it's not a Tammy product. So I do take my time with every single product that I sell. And how might people find you? Um I'm on Facebook, uh Stitched by T and Instagram, uh Stitched underscore by underscore T. Stitched by T.

Zoe Mills Photography

SPEAKER_05 7:57

Brilliant, thank you very much, Tammy. Thank you. Thank you very much. We're spotlighting lots of local businesses in the community, and here is another. What's your name and what do you do?

SPEAKER_00 8:06

I'm Zoe Mills, Zoe Mills photography, so a photographer. Um I do lots of wedding photography and people photography in general. So um I get to experience people's best days of their lives. And I was actually a finalist in the wedding industry awards in 2025, which is a well done you! Thank you. Really exciting, yeah. I absolutely love my job. Um I don't know how many people can say that, but it's it's the best job.

SPEAKER_05 8:30

It doesn't feel like working.

SPEAKER_00 8:31

No, it's the best job in the world, it really is. My work, in case you'd like to hear about it, is quite colourful, true to life, um, authentic, and I quite like a documentary approach, so I would rather watch and get those beautiful natural reactions rather than posed.

SPEAKER_05 8:47

Posed, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:48

Yeah, rather than make you all stiff and uncomfortable and yeah, just not looking very natural. Um so that's sort of how I approach it, and also my business is sustainable.

SPEAKER_05 8:56

Very good. These small changes soon add up to being a big change across society. And how might people find you?

Health Matters UK

SPEAKER_00 9:02

Um so my website is ZoeMills Photography.com, Instagram, on there quite a lot, which is at Zoe Mills Photo, um, and then Facebook at Zoe Mills Photography as well. Thank you very much. Thank you so much, Annie. So uh I'm Gregors.

SPEAKER_01 9:16

I'm Amanda, I'm my co-founders of Health Matters UK based in Crawley.

SPEAKER_04 9:21

Uh we help uh women and men through all sorts of uh hormonal changes, uh, through weight loss, through weight gain, through menopause, through andhropos, uh and all uh self-defence as well.

SPEAKER_01 9:35

So many women can't take HRT mainly because it's cancer in the family, or some people because they don't want to. So we try to guide them through the menopause, through alternative measures.

SPEAKER_04 9:49

And you got a couple of books out as well. Yes, we've got a couple of books out. One is called the Men in Menopause, and that's uh for couples to help them, uh help the males, but mainly to help their women through the menopause itself. And the other one is uh the Androuse, which is the male menopause, and it's again it's a couple's guides to helping the men through the through that as well.

SPEAKER_05 10:11

And on the Sussex and Surrey soapbox, it's definitely a future episode. We're gonna have to get you on to talk about that as well. How else might people get in touch?

SPEAKER_01 10:20

We have a website, it's healthmattersuk.co.uk. And we're also on social media. Thank you very much. Okay, thank you.

SPEAKER_03 10:30

Tell us what you think. Leave a comment below or click on sender text. Thank you for listening to the Sussex Century soapbox.