‘Shop Local North Yorkshire’ is an initiative launched by Cath Grimsey in Bedale.

The scheme enables shoppers to buy a loyalty card from participating businesses for £2.50 which entitles them to take advantage of promotions and discounts in shops – including those in other towns.

There are more than 100 businesses taking part and 4,000 cardholders in North Yorkshire.

Cath said: “It encourages people to spend money within the local area and within their communities.

“All the shops that participate have a window sticker with the logo on. Shoppers just show their card to the retailer if they want to take advantage of the promotional discount they have got on. If they haven’t got a card they can buy one from them.”

Cath said it was extremely important to shop local. “If you don’t support our local retailers they are not going to be here in future decades,” she said. “This initiative will hopefully encourage people to do that.

“We are blessed with a huge array of shops in North Yorkshire and if we support them they will be here to use in years to come.”

Elliot’s deli on Pateley Bridge High Street was one of the first businesses in the town to sign up.

Owner Elliot Watkinson said he joined the scheme as he believed it was vital to shop local.

He said: “We all need the support and we wanted to give something back because if people come in and support the scheme they do get benefits of doing it.

“It’s a two-way street and it benefits everybody. It helps during the bleak economy and I can’t see any negatives to it at all.”

Mr Watkinson said the shop had already sold more than 200 cards and the initiative had really started to take off.