As well as running Totally Locally, we work with local authorities and organisations consulting and building campaigns & solutions around high streets, place branding, placemaking and ‘localism as a tourism strategy’.

How all this came about

Totally Locally was put together by Chris Sands, an award-winning expert in branding and marketing, based in Hebden Bridge in the North of England.

Totally Locally is not funded, is not a big organisation and is not connected to any organisation or government initiative. It runs alongside Chris’ company, The Good Company, as a stand-alone project.

Totally Locally has been given away for free but it doesn’t mean it hasn’t cost a lot. It has had thousands of hours work to produce the full step by step guide, the beautifully designed posters and templates and meeting with towns, talking to people and supporting people online. It’s all been done in the name of ‘The Economics of Being Nice’. Meaning being nice makes businesses tick, makes life better and makes for a big adventure.

CHRIS SANDS

Chris, under the name   The Good Company , spends his days working with organisations and businesses to bring a unique mix of brand strategy and connection to place to his customers.

Projects include The Piece Hall, Halifax, Regional Development Australia (Barossa), The South Pennines Regional Park, The Sandstone Ridge, Cheshire, Halifax Borough Market and many colleges & arts organisations.

These specialities have led him to work and lecture across the UK and in Australia & Europe.

He started Totally Locally in Calderdale way back in 2010 when Calderdale Council put out a call for a shop local campaign. It’s safe to say, Chris went a bit overboard with it!  It had a huge effect on Calderdale almost immediately. He decided to give it away to anyone who wants it when he was inundated with requests from towns when they saw the effect Totally Locally had on his home town and the local area.

Chris grew up with a Dad running a village shop, and a Grandad running a bike shop. it’s where the passion to help small businesses comes from. “If my Dad had had access to something like Totally Locally all those years ago, it would have made life a lot easier for our family. That’s why I did this.”

READ MORE AT: www.thegoodco.co.uk

SIMON WALDREN

Simon (aka Waldopepper) created a hyperlocal website for his local town of Teddington in South West London after he noticed that there was loads of good local stuff and events that residents didn’t seem to know about and wanted to pour his local knowledge into something useful… as they say, write about what you know!

His passion for all things local grew when he was approached by a fellow resident to do something more specifically to support local businesses and learnt about Totally Locally. He didn’t know it at the time but they were the first to download and implement the Totally Locally Town Kit to help boost their town!

Since then he decided he wanted a more peaceful life and upped sticks to migrate to.. by sheer coincidence.. where Totally Locally started… in West Yorkshire! Sounds of planes and traffic soon became a distant memory and were replaced with the bleats of sheep and the clip-clop of horses. He hopes one day to fully understand the local phrases, not constantly get tea mixed up with cups of tea rather than a meal but to also become a local and not only “him from London”. In the meantime he’s helping out Chris spread the Totally Locally word the country and world-over!

Simon is a self-confessed nerd and loves data, stats and a good spreadsheet. By helping organise and run Totally Locally he loves helping businesses and towns become better places for us all.

Totally Locally has grown so big, and is able to work nationally due to many people who volunteer and work alongside us, now and in the past.

These people have included Nigel Goddard, Marc Briand, Amy Harbour, Emma Corfield Waters, Jo Swift, Karina Wells, Katie Kimber and Lucy Nolan.

On top of that many people have stepped in to help with certain parts of the scheme when they can, and there is huge support from and between Totally Locally town leaders & Instigators.

It makes it all worthwhile!