A GALASHIELS woman has picked an Ooni Pizza Oven as a reward for shopping local through the Mi Rewards initiative.

Mi Rewards was introduced by Energise Galashiels Trust in June as part of a drive to encourage local and loyal shopping in the town, following funding from Scotland’s Towns Partnership.

Linked to over 50 Galashiels businesses, the Mi Rewards programme automatically rewards customers for shopping locally.

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Participants earn 1 point for every £1 spent locally, and every 10 points becomes an entry into a regular prize draw to win both local and national prizes.

Norma Graham who recently moved back to Galashiels after 19 years away, said that joining Mi Rewards was a good way to get reacquainted with the local area:

She said: “After moving back I was keen to get involved in what’s happening in Galashiels and a friend told me about this initiative where if I shopped locally, I could earn reward points. I thought it sounded ideal, and downloaded the Mi Rewards app. It took me four minutes at most.

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“Now, if I go into a local business like the bakers and pay using my regular debit card, I get points through Mi Rewards,” “It immediately pops up on my phone telling me that I’ve earned say eight points, and it’s that instant gratification for shopping local.

“When I got the email saying I’d won the pizza oven, I was stunned. It has come at a brilliant time because I have just moved into my new house in Galashiels and a pizza oven was on my wish-list. I’ve already decided where I’m going to put it.

Debbie Paterson of Energise Galashiels Trust said: “We’re thrilled to see a winner from Galashiels picking up the national prize of an Ooni Pizza Oven as a reward for shopping local.

“We introduced Mi Rewards Galashiels to make local shopping as enticing as possible, rewarding people who are taking the time to support our town and its businesses.

“The next local and national prizes are both fantastic too. Now is a great time to sign up with Mi Rewards and start earning rewards for supporting local.”

The next local prize through Mi Rewards Galashiels is a £100 voucher for Love My Beds on Market Street whilst the national prize is a Ninja Foodi Max Dual Zone Air Fryer.