Wantage town team sets out its stall for national Indie Day 

Wantage’s town team will showcase what’s in store at 25 local shops with a stall on the town’s Saturday Market for national Independents’ Day on July 4^th. They’ll challenge shoppers to match the items with the name of the shop in Wantage or Grove they come from in a prize draw competition, with £25 vouchers to spend at local indies for two winners.

It’s the latest in a series of town team campaign initiatives to promote local businesses which has included a ‘What’s In Store’ guide to town centre shops, and an Artweeks art trail which displayed paintings by Kings Alfred’s Academy students in 11 shops and invited local people to visit them.

Town Team co-ordinators, Mim Norvell and Iain Nicholson, have booked a stall on Wantage’s Saturday Market for July 4^th as part of the national 1-day Independents’ Day event (#indieday) that celebrates diversity on the high street and gives voice to UK independent retailers.

Mim Norvell says: “Through our town team work it’s become clear that not everyone knows the variety of items available to them locally in our independent shops, and that people who haven’t visited certain streets for a while may have missed the latest arrivals. The competition is a fun way to raise some awareness of retailers, while celebrating the diversity our independents bring to the high street.”

Town Mayor, Cllr St John Dickson, says: “The independent shops in Wantage are the backbone of our town’s local economy and it is vital to support them in every way possible. We are all aware of the public outcry when shops close in the town, but this can be turned round if more of our community start using these local businesses. The Indie Day is an important initiative and I encourage everyone to visit the Market and to spend some time visiting our wonderful selection of independent shops; you may be surprised by the wealth of choice and quality on offer.”

Wantage Town Team is part of a town vitality initiative being delivered by the Vale of White Horse District Council, Wantage Town Council, Grove Parish Council and Wantage & District Chamber of Commerce through the Wantage Joint Economic Forum (JEF), supported by Town Team Co-ordinators Mim Norvell and Iain Nicholson.

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