Chamber vouchers now available from credit union

In what is expected to prove a boost to local businesses, Mullingar Credit Union has announced that it will now sell Mullingar Chamber Vouchers on an all-year-round basis.Previously, the Credit Union sold the vouchers only in the run-up to Christmas.The Chamber Vouchers, which are available in denominations of €10, €20 or €50, can be redeemed in 90 shops and businesses around Mullingar, and are sold with the aim of keeping locally-earned money circulating in local outlets.A non-commission based service, the scheme is run by the Chamber of Commerce, and the participating outlets include everything from hairdressers to hardware shops.Last year, €140,000 worth of vouchers were sold, and the Chamber is encouraging locals to buy vouchers as gifts, and to help keep business local."Shopping local is of great importance to the whole community," a spokesperson for the Chamber explained this week."It is indeed important that everyone considers the real cost to a local economy when local companies close down. A small local business employs a wide range of local supporting services such as printers, sign makers, cleaners, accountants, and of course direct staff."The closure of one small outlet in a town such as Mullingar has greater affects than we may think. The local supporting companies lose a customer, the staff directly employed lose their positions. The ripple affect that this can have on a local economy is real and while the closure of one outlet can have some effects, the closure of several outlets can be devastating to a local economy. Help us to keep business local."