A group of independent businesses in Reepham has received £1,000 from the Central England Co-operative, which is opening a food store in Station Road, to print its first batch of “bags for life”.
Made from heavy cotton canvas, the eco-friendly Shop Reepham bags will be launched at 10 shops in the town on Friday 20 November.
The reverse of the bag, which will retail at £5, features a map and list of all retail businesses/shops and pubs in Reepham.
£1 from the sale of each bag will be used to plant a tree in Reepham starting next spring, £3 will go back into printing more bags and the remainder will be used by the shops to cover VAT.
It is hoped the bags will be self-funding after the first batch of 500 is printed.
The group see this as a first step towards putting Reepham on the map as a forward-thinking shopping destination and a community-led market town.
Shop Reepham was launched in March by five local shop-owners as a way of encouraging businesses to support each other and the community.
The group plans to help re-energise the weekly market next year and in 2022 aims to hold its first community event in the Market Place.
Shop Reepham is holding meetings on a quarterly basis, where local businesses can discuss ideas and offer help or support.
The group also hopes to host wider meetings to engage the community with various plans and suggestion.
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