A CAMPAIGN by consumers to boost shoppers' spending in Tavistock town centre has been wholeheartedly supported by the town's chamber of commerce.

Rachel Harrison-French and Lisa Wadling explained at the chamber's meeting on?Monday about the success of the Tavistock Buy Local Facebook page and the Totally Locally campaign.

The chamber was told that 350 people had signed up to the Facebook page, conversing about the highlights of Tavistock's high street and creating enthusiasm for shopping locally.

Lisa Wadling, who has just been appointed the BID manager for Tavistock, said for nine weeks now she had been doing her weekly shopping in the town centre stores and what she was buying in the supermarket now was 'minute'.

Although not against supermarkets, both women expressed that they had become fed up with the treadmill of the weekly shop and found more and more reasons for shopping in town.

Lisa said she was now getting all her fruit and vegetables delivered to her home free, butchers were now giving an online service and stores had increased their range of convenience goods due to local demand.

She said the Totally Locally Campaign was a free branding kit for independent shops which encouraged people to spend £5 each week in town and boost the local economy.

Special offers and promotions were advertised and shops advertised each other rather than just themselves.

The launch of the Totally Locally campaign, which has worked in towns up and down the country and has its own website, will take place in July.

The meeting was told that Tavistock Facebook was the medium for getting information out about what was on offer locally and producers and traders were encouraged to join: 'You would be amazed the difference social networking will make to your business,' Rachel told the chamber.

Chamber member Mike Harper said this was the way to fight the supermarkets: 'I have said for a long time that the town centre is the supermarket you never knew you had. This is the way we fight "out of town" supermarkets and the way we win.

'The other way is all down to planning but we should be getting people spending money in town and not in the supermarkets.'

Adam Fleet, of Tavistock Enterprise Hub, said what was great about the initiative was that it was 'consumer-led'.

Chairman Nigel Eadie said the chamber and BID should help and nurture 'Totally Locally' as much as possible.