Yes it is hard to believe that just over nine years ago Crediton became an almost plastic bag free town following a ten month long campaign to persuade our High Street businesses to give up single use plastic bags. Most of the independent businesses did agree to change their policy on giving out free single use plastic bags. Only the major supermarkets refused, finally bowing to government legislation last year to charge their customers five pence a bag.

Cheriton Fitzpaine Community Shop became a beneficiary of that new government policy by being awarded £4000 under the Tesco Bags of Help Scheme, funded by the sale by Tesco of 80,000 single use plastic bags in their Crediton store. The cash will be put to very good use when the new village shop is built in the new year.

But we not really plastic bag free are we?