NEWPORT Road lies at the heart of Caldicot town centre, and tucked away in this wide pedestrianised street you will find some charming independent businesses run by even more charming people.

An opinion shared by many of Caldicot’s shop owners is that things used to be a lot busier, but everyone agrees the town’s strong sense of community spirit makes it a wonderful place to own a business.

Halfway down Newport Road lies Clarke’s Butchers, selling a wide range of snacks and condiments as well as various meats.

Alex Feetham is working in his second stint at Clarke’s, and estimates he has spent seven years behind the counter in total.

“It’s a traditional family butchers, so we’re still doing all the roasting joints. We do hot food now which is another new venture and it’s been going from strength to strength.

“We’re looking to expand that and do lunches, where we’d be doing a carvery style lunch with sandwiches and roast meat.”

Mr Feetham says the shop’s promotions on social media have been especially successful.

“We do quite a lot on Facebook – we put ribeye steaks up the other day and someone was in within five minutes.”

The shop also caters for parties and events, with staff preparing and serving hog roasts and homemade salads.

“There’s a lot of heart that goes into it and a lot of effort, and we always get good feedback”, Mr Feetham said.

A few doors down from Clarke’s you can find Country Flowers, a wonderfully fragrant shop managed by Cathy Edwards.

Mrs Edwards is a committee member of Caldicot Town Team, organiser of local events including monthly markets and a street party to celebrate the recent royal wedding.

“It’s a lovely town and we’ve got a nice community. We’ve got a town team and other community groups who are active in the centre, so it’s a nice place to have a business, for sure,” Mrs Edwards said.

Towards Newport Road’s eastern end lies Wye Valley Studios, Caldicot’s oldest established business.

“My father started the business about 70 years ago”, explains Nick House, who runs the shop with his sister, Tracey Clements.

“I’ve worked here for over 40 years, and I came here straight from school”, Mr House said.

The shop is full of brightly-coloured ornaments and decorations, which Mr House says make perfect gifts for weddings or birthdays.

The shop also contains a photography studio for family portraits and baby photographs. Both Mr House and Mrs Clements have won national prizes for their photography.

After a difficult period for businesses, Mrs Clements says things are looking up once again in town.

“Not so long ago it was getting a little bit depressing in Caldicot – online shopping isn’t helping any business.

“Lately there are a lot of positive things happening.

“Caldicot used to have a fabulous community spirit and now I think it’s starting to pick up again. Hopefully with all this positivity, things will start to improve.”