Village shoppers will be rewarded for staying local as part of a new loyalty scheme.

To encourage local shopping, participating Wheathampstead businesses will be handing out stickers which can be exchanged for a free coffee at Charlie’s café or a free beer at The Reading Rooms.

Chair of Wheathampstead Business Group, Jo Hailey, said: “I am thrilled by this new initiative.

“We have been encouraging people to ‘Buy it Locally’ for over a year now, and this is a great new development.

“After all, what is there not to like about a free coffee or beer?”

The loyalty card was launched by the Buy it Locally mascot Billy the Bee to coincide with Small Business Saturday.

This idea will be trialled until May 31, 2019.

Wheathampstead Cllr Annie Brewster is supporting the scheme through her locality budget.

She said: “We are very proud of our vibrant village and this inspired scheme will help Wheathampstead residents support each other even more than they do already – and become more sustainable.”