Who are we and why have we produced this directory?

We are a group of Sustainable Wallingford supporters who are especially concerned about the damage done to the environment by the transporting of everyday goods (particularly food). We formed the Buy Local Group in 2003.

Within the Group there are people with first hand experience of farming and horticulture, a Farmers’ Market stall holder and an NHS dietitian (retired).  Our aim is to make it easier for people to buy local products and to encourage them to grow some of their own food. We produced the first Where to Buy Local in 2005 and the current edition in 2009.  We have also helped set up a vegetable garden at Fir Tree Junior School.

Every time we buy something we make choices which affect local businesses, the environment and our community. There are many advantages in buying from local producers, as we hope this site will show. One important benefit is the chance to meet the people who produce your goods.

You can ask how the goods have been produced, what are the ingredients of a cake or pie or whether vegetables have been sprayed. You can also say what you really like about a product and so have an effect on the quality of the things you buy and give useful feed back (and encouragement!) to the seller.

Wallingford is a unique historic town whose shops and markets have served the surrounding villages for centuries. Happily it still retains a great range of independent small shops which add to the town’s special character. Each Friday there is a general market and the Country Market, and on the third Tuesday of each month a Farmers’ Market.

All these depend on the trade generated by local people and visitors who shop in the town. Money spent on local products stays in the community, whereas much of the money spent with a big national company goes out of the area.

The aim of this publication is to help you find the people who provide the goods and services that make up our local economy. We know that this directory may not have listed every local business and we would be very pleased to hear of any we have left out. Please contact me on 01865 891197 or email.

Dorothy Cussens

on behalf of the Sustainable Wallingford Local Sourcing Group.