Amid the spoils of a slow news day – awash with hysteria about Cameron’s baby and yawnsome analysis of X factor’s first episode – not to mention a cat in a bin (it is August after all), I was heartened to read a small feature that will hopefully have much louder ramifications over the coming months.

The high-street, it appears, is on the verge of a renaissance. Research from The Retail Insider has shown high streets are fighting back against the continued threat from out-of-town sites and online shopping, with increasing evidence showing that shoppers are recognising the value of their local stores.

For the first time in many years, footfall trends show the high street is performing better than retail parks. According to Experian Footfall Data, retail parks experienced a worrying decline of 2.7 per cent during July, compared with a lesser 0.6 per cent fall recorded for the retail market as a whole.

In sharp contrast, BDO found that like-for-like sales on the high street were up by a healthy 5.8 per cent for the week ending 8 August. The stats are from two different sources and covering differing periods, but according to The Retail Insider: “an interesting trend seems to have emerged.”

The Centre for Retail Research weighed in with the results of a UK survey, which found 10 per cent of city dwellers now shop locally three times per week, compared with only once a week three years ago. Grocery experts IGD, also found a net 24 per cent of people expected to be using specialist neighbourhood stores more often by 2012.

Having previously worked in Manchester’s King Street, and seen its miserable decline, it’s heart warming to see that the game is far from over for the high street. However, with pressure from online retailers, it is clear the high street is going to have to work harder than ever, to claw back the punters.

It seems that a quick sweepstake of retail success stories shows that creativity is at the heart of the fledgling boom, as independents look to deliver what sitting at home simply can’t.

 If this trend is to continue, it is the individuality of the shopping experience which is going to win back the punters. Pop-up retail is one trend that is driving retail innovation (loving your work Hey Little Cupcake!), whilst street food festivals and German markets have all helped boost footfall to town centres when implemented by local councils.

As the four month gong to Christmas was sounded out by Scott Mills yesterday, the high street is set for its most lucrative quarter of the year yet.  Let’s hope the rise in consumer confidence is set for an upward trajectory, and I for one will see you down the high street.

With the Fleet Street pack dedicating their tired pages to track each and every job loss it’s somewhat ironic that attention this week has been brought back to the media itself.

Munching through my Bran Flakes yesterday morning, my ears pricked up as John Humphrys announced that our biggest commercial broadcaster – ITV – is to cull over 600 staff.  The broadcaster’s move is a significant signpost that the recession is about to see the media landscape undergo a dramatic change. But will this be a make-over or a ‘make-under’ for our commercial media entities?

The media has always claimed to fulfil the objective of being ‘a mirror reflecting on society’ – highlighting every imperfection and flaw. But as advertising revenues are slashed it too is being thrust into the limelight. The so-called ‘mirror on society’ has been spun around to reflect back on the media itself and, it ain’t a pretty face staring back.

ITV chairman Michael Grade’s announcement of the £2.8 million debt troubling ITV, came as glossy men’s mag Arena became the latest victim of the recession.

Add to that the distinct possibility that Channel 4′s independent, innovative PSB output – currently in place to rival the BBC – may be under threat too. Instead, we could be watching CSI on the same channel as Corrie and news reports by John Snow – as ITV, Channel 4 and Five find themselves in discussions about joining forces.

It’s the regional newspapers, however, which appear to have been hardest hit as they embark on a mass operation to merge with other papers in an attempt to run more efficient news churning machines.

The media is clearly feeling the pinch and it’s going to be interesting to watch just how well the big news organisations fare over the next 12 months.

There could be a glimmer of light at the end of this gloomy tunnel though. As newspapers shrink and resources are sliced for broadcasters, could we actually see a stronger, media monster rise from the ashes? Looking back at the UK’s media pre recession, did it perhaps enjoy the freedom of too much advertising revenue, extravagant resources, endless pages to fill and too much air time to play around with? A self-indulgent media that lost sight of its purpose and which eventually led to even our broadsheets being polluted with trivial celeb gossip.

Perhaps, now that purse strings are tightening, space and air time will become more valued by our news editors. A new, more acute media monster may emerge, filled with only the highest quality news and entertainment and a sharper bite.

OK, maybe we can only dream – but watch this space as the recession attacks the media, sieving out the weakest links and, as Darwin depicted, leaving only the strongest standing.

As if a global recession were not sufficient cause for anxiety, I’m now faced with another pressing challenge – that of knitting a jumper for our two hens, Peppa and Minty.

You see, eight-year-old Louis spotted a photo of ex-battery hens sporting hand-knitted jumpers this week in The Times.  He immediately begged me to knit a similarly warm and attractive gilet for our own birds. 

Frankly, when we decided to give over half our garden to hens and their mountains of poo, I didn’t expect that my responsibilities would extend to crafting hand-made garments for them. Mind you, neither did I expect to find myself, Jodie Kidd-style, frantically driving round neighbouring streets searching for the hens after they disappeared. Fearing the worst – that the foxes had finally got to them – I almost broke down with relief after discovering them three hours later. There they were, scratching happily around the garden of a very bemused elderly lady who lives across the road.

The funny thing is, a little part of me (just a little mind) actually rejoices at the thought of knitting a hen-jumper. I think it’s the prospect of someone actually wearing something that I’ve knitted – publicly and without protest.  My record of knitted gifts is not a happy one.  The first attempt (since knitting a single bed sock at the age of 12) was a forest green scarf three years ago.  My eldest son Max refused point blank to even try it on.  I then presented it to Louis who welcomed it as the most beautiful gift ever.  When a cold snap descended, I was finally able to proudly offer him the scarf to wear to school. He said: “Oh no Mummy, I couldn’t possibly wear such a precious thing to a busy place like school. I’m going to keep the scarf in a special box to remember you when you’re dead.”

Undeterred, I’ve gone on to knit a number of projects including: a cushion cover that has languished unfinished for 18 months; a rather peculiar pink ‘wallet’ for my daughter; and a further five scarves. The last of these – a burgundy-hued anniversary present for Jean-Philippe – took six weeks of fevered knitting.  The first time he wore it, a ten-year-old local kid approached him and asked pointedly why he was ‘wearing a girl’s scarf’.

So, if anyone has any easy-to-follow instructions for knitting a hen waistcoat, could you please forward them to me?

In boom times it’s easy to forget about employees and focus solely on the business but when things get tougher, it’s dedicated and committed staff that will see you through alongside a sensible business plan. People want to feel valued and know that their efforts aren’t going unnoticed.

Everyone needs to pull together and make sure that they go the extra mile. This is where small businesses can have the edge over their larger competitors and ensure they survive the recession. Having a positive attitude will boost any business and this becomes even more important when times are tough.

An immediate and aggressive cut in interest rates must take place and by at least 0.5%. However, a reduction alone will not solve the problem – far more needs to be done to boost consumer confidence and encourage increased spending. It’s only when people feel that they have more disposable income, that the risk of job losses has lessened, and the cost of living has also fallen, that the economy will truly begin to recover. The government needs to offload the heavy burden of tax on individuals and UK businesses and energy suppliers must immediately pass on any fall in energy costs to the consumer.

The media of course has a huge role to play as it can massively influence how consumers feel. PR agencies and journalists need to stop linking the last few weeks with the 1930s and focus on the positives. After all, an unprecedented amount of liquidity has been injected into the economy and the price of oil is tumbling. In addition, UK exporters face huge increases in the demand for their products as the value of the pound continues to plummet. Business opportunities do exist even when times are tough and PROs should highlight these as much as possible. The sooner that confidence begins to return, the quicker we will lift ourselves out of recession no matter how low interest rates fall.