A chocolate lover who sometimes patronises Stirling chocolate cafe Red Cacao every day of the week has won The Courier’s Rebuild Stirling competition.
Bridgewater resident Wayne Vardon won a basket of goodies and vouchers from Stirling businesses – including chocolate from Red Cacao – after showing his support for them and contributing to the town’s economy throughout winter.
The Rebuild Stirling competition was organised by The Courier, to encourage residents to support Stirling stores and cafes in the wake of the Stirling Village Mall fire.
Entrants could collect stamps on a loyalty card by shopping at participating businesses, with completed loyalty cards going into the draw.
The Stirling Village Mall was demolished after a fire completely destroyed the Woolworths in October last year and the loss of key shops, including the supermarket, impacted other shops in the area due to reduced foot traffic.
Mr Vardon said he was often at Red Cacao “seven days a week” and thought the competition was a great way to support the Stirling businesses he loves.
“(I love) the village-type atmosphere and it doesn’t matter what shop you go into, they’re friendly,” he said.
“Marcus at Red Cacao has become a really good friend, he’s always got a little quip to say as you walk through the door ... we spend a lot of our time there.”
Luck seemed to be on Mr Vardon’s side in recent weeks – not only did he win the Rebuild Stirling draw, he also had two winning cross lotto tickets.
“I think it was a fluke ... but I thought the competition was a really good idea because it’s going to get people into some of those shops,” he said.
