About First Stop Local Shop

A recent report commissioned by the District Council estimated that £100 million is being spent outside of the Forest by District residents every year. Combined with the growth of supermarkets and online shopping, it is becoming increasingly difficult for market town retailers to thrive.

As a result, in 2005 the Forest of Dean District Council’ Market Town Regeneration Team successfully secured £250,000 from the South West Regional Development Agency to develop a 3-year project to support retail in the four market towns of Cinderford, Coleford, Lydney & Newent. This money has been combined with funding from the Forest of Dean District Council and from the private sector, resulting in a total fund of £500,000.

The First Stop Local Shop Campaign draws on the local shoppers desire to support the town businesses and actively promotes the qualities that these shops have over their out of town competitors. Also, the project aims to build on the existing high quality retail environment by providing schemes to enhance the appearance of the towns and training packages to compliment the skills of the retail employees.

The menu on the left details some of the schemes developed over the last three years. While the funding ended at the end of March 2008, the project continues and has now been extended to the Forest villages outside the Four Market Towns. If you have any questions about the campaign, do contact us at retail.support@fdean.gov.uk or call us on 01594 812642.

An interactive 'Toolkit' - with full details of the funded phase of First Stop Local Shop can be accessed by clicking on the 'Retail Support Toolkit' tab on the left hand side of this page.