The Spar shop in Pewsey is in the final three of a national contest for shops which are involved with their communities.

The manager of the North Street shop, Susan Connolly, will be attending the awards evening at the Park Plaza Riverbank Hotel in London on Tuesday, October 23, and is hoping the store will be selected for the top national award.

The store is one of three stores nationwide nominated in the National Federation of Retail Newsagents’ awards for the Independent Community Retailer of the Year category.

Miss Connolly said: “We were surprised and thrilled to be nominated for this prestigious award, which is a widely respected industry accolade, and we’re very much looking forward to the dinner and presentation evening.”

The Pewsey store is heavily involved in its local community. As well as being the main sponsor of the town’s carnival and sponsoring the football club it has become known for its community seasonal events, including a Halloween fancy dress and colouring competition and its popular in-store Christmas grotto.

The NFRN Awards are in their ninth year and seek to recognise people in the news and convenience retailing sector.

The 1,600 square feet store has been a shop for many years but had become run down, and finally closed altogether before it was acquired by the Connolly family and re-opened as a SPAR shop two years ago.

Susan Connolly is the third generation of her family to become involved in the business that was started 50 years ago by her grandfather Malcolm, 90, from Tidworth, where the first shop opened. He still takes a keen interest in the business and there are now four shops in total, two in Tidworth, one in Ludgershall and the one in Pewsey.