Get behind our campaign to save Monmouthshire high streets

'Your High Street: Use it or lose it' aims to raise awareness of the independent high street businesses who are suffering from falling customer numbers.

Last month, the National Assembly of Wales released figures which highlighted the plummeting average weekly football numbers across Gwent.

In Monmouthshire, between 2005 and 2015, Abergavenny town centre lost 56 per cent of its shoppers, Caldicot 29 per cent and Chepstow 10 per cent.

Elsewhere, Monmouth gained five per cent between 2005 and 2015 but saw a drop of 40 per cent between 2013 and 2015 while Usk lost three per cent since 2005 but made an overall gain of 14 percent since 2013.

In Caldicot, much of the blame for the 'decline' of Caldicot town centre have fallen on how the new Asda store was developed and the consequent lack of footfall in the independent shops.

Residents and town councillors have previously objected to the final road layout leading into the supermarket and the ongoing problems with the linkage.

Efforts have been made in to rejuvenate the town centre through various schemes such as Caldicot Town Team's pop-up shop scheme, 'Caldicot Goes Pop'.

Caldicot town councillors such as Cllr Jim Higginson and Cllr David Evans have expressed their concerns of new developments on the outskirts of the town 'diluting' trade within the town centre.

Despite the apparent shortcomings of the town centre, new businesses are continuing to move in to ply their trade.

Empire Vapes, an e-cigarette and e-liquid supplier, set up shop in Caldicot just over a month ago to add to their business in Risca.

David Bell, the joint-owner of the store, said: "There's encouraging signs, we've been getting good feedback as we start to build a customer base.

"However people are telling us the town centre is in decline, which is a concern.

"We have noticed that it's like a nuclear bomb has gone off after 4pm, it's just completely empty."

Some traders such as Helen Thomas, of Caldicot Printing, believe that the situation in Caldicot is a reflection of modern shopping methods.

"When people can just do their shopping on the internet it changes things completely," said Mrs Thomas.

"The average person is shopping differently and you can see that in the town. However I do think that Asda hasn't helped."

Tucked away in a corner in the town centre near the town war memorial, a worker at Caldicot Pet Supplies claimed that the current situation in Caldicot is "terrible".

He added that he felt the part of the town centre closest to Chepstow Road is largely "forgotten about".

Resident Haydn Bishop, who has lived in the town for 37 years, said that town centre is 'severely behind the times'.

He said: "It hasn't been revamped in all of the time that I've lived here, it's stuck in the 1960s.

Along the A48 in Chepstow, local traders have also voiced their concerns about problems in the town centre, notably parking.

Several shopworkers and residents remarked at the 'unfair' car parking sites surrounding the high street, which they feel 'overcharge' for short-stays.

A worker at the clothing shop Runway, who said she has worked in the town for more than 20 years, believes the situation in Chepstow is a 'mixed one'.

She said: "You have really busy days and the next day you could be lucky to get any customers.

"Other aspects of the town centre such as the marker aren't very well supported, it's only got about five or six stalls."

Sarah Young, who works at Poppy's Plaice cafe, was in agreement saying that the thing letting Chepstow down was a 'lack of variety'.

"The market has had a few interesting stalls in the past but they didn't last long," said Mrs Young.

"With the shops then we don't even have a shoe shop anymore with Clarks closing down.

"It means that we've got no choice but to go to places like Newport or Bristol."

Mrs Young also admitted that business at the cafe had 'quietened down' in recent weeks.

She said: "On one day this week I took just £17 for the entire day - that's not going to pay my bills is it?

"A lot of the money we make also goes to the Royal British Legion, here in Chepstow so they're also affected."

Dawn Floyd, one of the owners of St Mary’s St Collectables on St Mary Street, said that trade in the town has been 'dire' all year.

Mrs Floyd, who has been trading locally for around 40 years, said: "While there have been signs of things picking up in the last few weeks, I feel this has been one of the worst years for business in Chepstow.

"The decline in footfall in obvious, and I don't feel that the beautiful shops we have here get enough publicity for what they sell.

"I feel it needs something new, like an indoor market selling a variety of goods, to try and bring people back in."

Mrs Floyd also added that the opening of Friars Walk, as well as 'constant closures' on the Severn Bridge, are 'hurting' the town.

Every week, our campaign 'Your High Street: Use it or lose it' will highlight the best our high streets have to offer and what is being done to stop the decline.

Councillor Bob Greenland, Monmouthshire’s cabinet member with responsibility for innovation and enterprise said: “I applaud the Free Press series for launching a campaign to support local businesses and our local communities. This is absolutely in line with the priorities we have set at Monmouthshire County Council.

“We all want to see our communities thrive. To do so we have to have a vibrant business sector offering local jobs for local people. Successful retailers need support from local shoppers, which is why the Free Press campaign is so important and timely.”

Do you have something you want to shout about? We want high street businesses across Monmouthshire to get in touch and tell us your story. Call Niall Griffiths on 01633 777248 and niall.griffiths@southwalesargus.co.uk