MEETING the people who keep our local economy moving is one of the greatest privileges of representing Central Devon, and my recent visit to Rose Removals and Storage in Lapford was a perfect example of that.

I want to say a huge thank you to George Rose, Jacky Wilkins and the team for taking time out of their busy day to show me around.

It was a genuine pleasure to hear first-hand about what it takes to run a long established family business, and about the vital service they provide to households and companies right across Devon.

From helping families move into new homes to supporting local firms as they grow and relocate, theirs is the kind of dependable, hands-on work that so much of everyday life quietly depends upon.

Businesses like Rose Removals are not the exception in our part of the world, they are the backbone of it. Small and medium-sized enterprises make up around 99 percent of all businesses in the UK, and together they employ around 16 million people, which is close to three fifths of the private sector workforce.

Here in the South West there are more than half a million of these businesses, and family firms in particular contribute enormously to both our economy and our sense of community.

When you choose a local firm, far more of that money stays circulating in local towns and villages.

Family businesses also bring something that goes beyond the balance sheet. Many have been built up over decades, passed down through generations, carrying with them a depth of knowledge, loyalty and personal service that larger operators often struggle to match.

That continuity matters. It builds trust with customers and creates stable, skilled jobs in rural areas where good employment is not always easy to come by.

Of course, running a business of this kind is rarely straightforward. Rising costs, recruitment challenges and the sheer weight of day-to-day pressures are difficulties I hear about again and again on visits like this one.

Firms across the removals and storage sector, like so many others, are working hard to adapt while continuing to deliver for their customers.

That is why I will keep making the case for sensible policies that back enterprise, encourage investment and help businesses grow and take on new staff.

My thanks go once more to everyone at Rose Removals and Storage for such a warm welcome and for sharing their experiences so openly. Conversations rooted in the real world of work are exactly what help me represent our wonderful part of Devon.

Facebook: Mel Stride MP X: @MelJStride Instagram: @melstridemp Website: www.melstridemp.com