A Spar store in Fife has been awarded £2,000 to help develop a community and grow links with the local area.

Spar Ladybank in Fife was announced as the winner of the Kingsmill community investment competition and was awarded with £2,000 towards a new poly tunnel to help grow plants.

The competition, which received over 100 entries, was designed to help retailers get community projects devised by independent retailers off the ground.

Leven Valley Stores in Ulverston and Spar Hazelgrove in Stockport were awarded £500 each as runners up to fund a playground and a defibrillator respectively. A Lifestyle Express store and the Laing & Taylor Paper Shop in Okehampton, Devon were both highly commended and were awarded £150 each for sporting activities in their areas.

Allied Bakeries channels director Mike Bailey said: “Kingsmill knows that retailers are at the heart of the local community and we hope that these grants will give the successful retailers an opportunity to build relations with their local area - driving sales and loyalty for their stores.”

Nisa Local retailer Kishor Patel, one of the judges of the competition urged retailers to get involved in their communities. “Getting involved in the community is a daunting task for local retailers whose time is already stretched,” he said. “The entries to Kingsmill’s project have shown that not only are retailers going above and beyond to support their communities – but actually some of the schemes are really simple to manage but very effective.  It doesn’t have to be difficult – and can make a big difference to shopper loyalty now and often for generations to come.”