FRIDAY 13th is supposedly unlucky, but last Friday was a very good day for Launceston Chamber of Commerce, as their project to launch a town wide loyalty card scheme took a giant step forward.

At a session held in the Guild Hall, local businesses were invited to see the final designs and branding (prepared by Kenetic Designs of Launceston) for the scheme and decide whether to take part.

Paul Loft, Deputy Chair of the Chamber said: "We were hoping that maybe 20 businesses would come along and pledge their support. In the event we were overwhelmed by the level of interest and by the end of the evening we had signed up over 50 businesses, the vast majority based in the town centre.

"This places the project in an amazingly strong position and we are confident that we will have the majority of shops and businesses in the town centre offering something to local people by the time the scheme launches in early May."

For the full report, and a round up of the area news and sport, please see this week's edition of the 'Post'.