I was delighted to visit Pat’s Café on Bruche Heath Gardens on 7th December as part of the UK’s inaugural Small Business Saturday.

The idea comes from the USA where it has helped increase spending in small businesses, led to a long-term increase in customers, and championed their role in local communities.

It was the biggest celebration of small businesses the UK has seen and enabled us to put centre stage the great work small businesses do.

Small independent businesses here in Warrington make an enormous contribution to our community and are one of the things that make our town unique.

They also provide many jobs for local people and are hugely important for our local economy. In addition, it is clear from talking to people how much they value the choice they get from smaller shops and appreciate how much they add to the character of the area.

I received a warm welcome at Pat’s Café, run by husband and wife Chris and Leanne Iddon, which, as well as serving food on site, caters for external events including christening and weddings as well as providing a book swap service for customers.

It was a great opportunity for me to see, first hand, how trade was going in the run up to Christmas and to gain an insight into the difficulties involved in running a local independent business.

Running a small business can be really hard work, involving long working hours and, in these difficult economic times, great uncertainty about the future.

That is why I felt it important to support people like Chris and Leanne and to encourage people to shop locally and support small businesses in their local communities.

I hope the that next year we will see even more small businesses taking part in Small Business Saturday and we can celebrate and promote the contribution they make to even greater effect.

As this will be my last column before the Christmas and New Year holiday I would like to take the opportunity to wish everyone a very Happy Christmas and all the very best for 2014.