ONE of Coleford’s best known traders has retired after more than 50 years.

The Choice is Yours greengrocers run by Pat Scott is one of the town’s most recognisable shops.

The shop in Market Place closed on Saturday marking Mrs Scott’s 26-year association with the town.

The business was set up by Mrs Scott’s late husband, Adam, in 1973 and they moved into the Coleford shop 26 years ago.

Mrs Scott, who lives in Kilcot, said: “We started trading in Ross on Wye in 1973.

“Adam went to market, he was a builder his hand.

“He was in Ross market and thought there wasn’t much of an offer with fruit and veg.

“He’d moved up from Cardiff and he knew the boys in the wholesale market.

“He went down with his pick up truck and came back with £50 worth, sale or return.

“He’d sold it all by 10am.

“He actually introduced peppers and aubergines to Ross on Wye.”

Mrs Scott said: “This was owned by Royston Pritchard before and he rang Adam to try to get him to take it on.

“He rang us four times I think and he came up on Sunday because he had seen what we had done with the shop we had in Lydney and with the outlets in Kwiksave in Lydney, Chepstow and here.”

The took on the Coleford shop in 2000 and Mrs Scott has been running it since her husband died in 2012.

She said many of her customers had become friends and many of them had written good luck messages in a book for her.

“I’ve enjoyed serving the lovely people of Coleford – there aren’t any who are grumpy.”

Mrs Scott said a particular favourite among her customers was soil-covered potatoes from Wiltshire.