IT is a mecca for the yachting world.

And villagers would also like to see it become a magnet for local shops. That is why they are backing the Daily Echo Buy Local, Shop Local campaign.

In the Hamble Parish Plan residents were asked to come up with their priority needs for the village and top of their shopping list was improved existing local shops and shopping areas.

A parish council spokesman said it had always been the authority’s policy to support local businesses.

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Bonne Bouche is a charming delicatessen in the heart of Hamble’s High Street which winds its way down to the waterfront.

Step inside and you soon feast your eyes on shelves which include such mouth-watering items as farmhouse cheeses, home-cooked hams and continental meats, olives and olive oils, ready meals, jams and chutneys, and biscuits and cakes.

And the message to customers on the Bonne Bouche website is: “Put the fun back into food shopping and avoid those overcrowded aisles with trolleys that never go in a straight line and support your local specialist retailer.”

Manager Frances Carroll said: “We fully support the Daily Echo’s campaign. Last weekend we had some lovely weather and Hamble was really buzzing and that is when all the shops benefit.”

As well as catering for everyone from yacht crews to lunches for local office and shop workers the Bonne Bouche also has a thriving coffee shop which has become the social hub of the village.

One of its regular customers is mum-of-two Aisling McWilliam aged 38, who lives in Hamble, and says: “We should definitely support our local shops because without them there would not be a village.”

The Daily Echo’s campaign urges people to use local shops and do their bit to breathe life back into the Hampshire community.