Today – Wednesday November 25 – is the big day.

Small businesses in Dorchester and across Dorset are being encouraged to join Small Business Saturday UK’s online roadshow.

The campaign’s nationwide virtual tour zooms into town offering support and mentoring for small businesses and communities affected by the pandemic.

Arriving in Dorchester for a ‘virtual visit’, ‘The Tour’ will shine a light on the town and offer an intensive programme of locally targeted online advice, workshops and mentoring.

The Mumpreneurs will deliver a workshop on online networking, while other local experts will be on hand for one-to-one mentoring.

Interviews with businesses will take place, including Emma Teasdale from Bonjour Café in Dorset, Kirsten Sare Makeup Artist and Cloudhill Productions in Dorchester and Wafaa Powell from Dancing Flavours based in Trowbridge.

Insights from business and political leaders will also be streamed via Small Business Saturday UK’s Facebook page.

A fun-filled ‘Happy Hour’ will take place with prizes from Lindsay Hood, author of Live a big life in a quiet way.

With the aim to support, encourage and uplift small businesses across the country facing the challenge of a second wave of Covid-19 restrictions, The Tour will form a central part of the official countdown to Small Business Saturday on December 5.

Michelle Ovens MBE, Director, Small Business Saturday UK, pictured left, said: “This year has been incredibly tough for small businesses – financially, operationally, mentally and emotionally.

“This means our mission to support and celebrate small businesses across the UK becomes even more vital and ambitious.

“I would encourage small businesses in Dorchester and across the South West to get involved in The Tour.

“As well as offering fantastic support and networking opportunities, it will also be a lot of fun.”

To get involved small businesses should follow the Small Business Saturday Facebook page and book virtual one-to-one mentoring sessions and workshops with local experts via the ‘My Business Section’ on the Small Business Saturday website.

Jon Pollock, pictured right, Director of BT’s Enterprise unit in the South of England, the official supporter of The Tour from Small Business Saturday UK, said: “Despite this year being phenomenally tough for small businesses across the UK, we have seen many businesses embrace the benefits that being more digital can bring; for them, their employees and their customers.

“To make that leap, they need support and encouragement.

“The Tour 2020 is another great initiative from the Small Business Saturday team and we’re delighted to be involved.

“We all have a role to play in helping our small business community and we look forward to offering mentoring support and helping them to develop their digital skills through our BT Skills for Tomorrow programme.”

Now in its eighth year in the UK, Small Business Saturday celebrates small business success and encourages consumers to ‘shop local’ and support businesses in their communities.

The grassroots, not-for-profit campaign was originally founded by American Express in the USA in 2010.

American Express remains the principal supporter of the campaign in the UK, as part of its championing of the UK high street and commitment to encourage consumers to shop small.

Due to the pandemic, this year’s online roadshow will temporarily replace the Small Business Saturday UK bus tour which has been running since the campaign began.