How did we get here?

A couple of months ago, I was scrolling through social media and saw a video of a woman say this:

“Everyone wants a village but no one wants to be a villager”

At first, I agreed. Like so many others, I wondered where the amazing sense of community we saw through COVID lockdowns had gone.

I’m here to tell you that I was wrong. The community is there. I have seen it – people rallying together for important causes, all trying to navigate a difficult political and economic climate with floods of support for those in need and small businesses alike. We are villagers. Despite that, supporting one another can be difficult. We often don’t know where to start, feel overwhelmed, and become disenfranchised by the idea that our small acts of support and kindness will not even make a dent in the wider issues.

You have probably heard “buy locally!” and “support local businesses!” parroted around in recent years. Maybe you have been trying your best to do this but, let’s face it, buying locally is a bit of a hassle…

So, welcome to Villagers – a new online marketplace exclusively selling UK-made products. We believe that the UK has NOT lost its community spirit, most of us WANT to support others, and every single one of us CAN make a difference. This is more than a marketplace, it is a movement!

Yesterday, again while scrolling on social media, I saw several comments in response to the government’s call to action for local buying. Most looked a little something like this:

“How can we buy British, we don’t make anything!”

This isn’t true either – In the UK we have an amazing entrepreneurial spirit that just needs a bit of nurturing. Over time, we hope to show you that it really is possible to “Buy British”.

With Villagers, it has never been easier to do so.