A non-profit shop that gave away two tons of chocolate when it was opened by a visiting beauty queen is one of the latest outlets to get a huge boost from Erewash council’s crusade to keep local high streets thriving.

Others include a mecca for brides – and a former cheesecake shop that is now a swish café. All got council grants to help pay for their shopfronts.

The Living Hope Community Store in Ilkeston was launched to help those struggling with the cost of living. Miss Diamond UK – alias Sian Hooton – cut the ribbon at its grand opening as delighted crowds were offered free choc bars.
The Bath Street store’s project manager Chris Jones said: “We gave away two tons.”

The outlet began as a food bank in a Methodist church basement early in 2023 but had to find bigger premises after it “exploded with popularity”.

Chris said: “We are open for everyone who needs us, it doesn’t matter if you are a student, a pensioner, employed or unemployed. Working poverty is currently on the rise in the UK and there is a lot of stigma around it. We don’t judge anyone.”

The store won funding under the council’s Empty Shop Signage Grant Scheme – as did La Belle Bridal Boutique on Ilkeston’s Market Place. The wedding dress hub is an off-the-peg arm of a designer gown business.

In Long Eaton, signage for what is now a smart café called Lady Nene’s was funded by the council initiative – which the authority is urging more new businesses to take advantage of. The grants are worth up to £2,000. The money is from a government levelling-up pot called the Shared Prosperity Fund – so does not come from Council Tax.

Lady Nene’s has two floors of seating and is in what used to be a cheesecake shop. The Market Place premises had stood empty for five years.

Ex-mental health worker Janine Lawmon, who friends call Nene, had always wanted to open a café. The eaterie’s name also pays tribute to her late dog Lady.

Janine, whose daughter Keeley, 22, is helping her with the café, said: “I used to come past this place, stare at it and think, I’d love to get in there.

“I went for an alcohol licence so people could have a glass of prosecco or wine with afternoon tea – and then I said we can do cocktails while we're at it." Erewash councillor Alex Breene, who is Lead Member for Town Centres, Regeneration and Planning, said:

“We are over the moon to have helped Janine realise her dream – and also wish the very best to the other new business that have won grants. We urge more to follow their lead as the council continues to tackle the blight of retail units lying empty in our towns.”

Dind out more about the grants on the Empty Shop Signage Applicants Guide page.