It's was sad day for Stretton as the village butchers shop closed its doors one final time after more than a quarter of a century.

David Stanley Butchers, which was a family business, is no longer to be found in The Precinct, Stretton, after shutting on Saturday, October 21 - to the surprise of many customers.

The family business has been serving hungry customers with "high-quality and fantastic meats" for 26 years and has become popular over the years with people in the village and from the surrounding area.

One regular customer was Elaine Pritchard, one of the leaders of WiRE (Women in Rural Enterprise) in the Burton area and a champion of Small Business Saturday. She says she always got her Christmas turkey and meat from there and praised the dedicated team behind the counter.

Stretton Butchers - Closed after 26 years
David Stanley Butchers in Stretton has closed after 26 years

She said: "As a resident of Stretton and also a champion for the Small Business Saturday campaign, I would like to gratefully thank David and his team for serving Stretton and the surrounding area with real dedication for 26 years.

"They not only sold high-quality and fantastic meats that were sourced locally and were traceable, which is important in these times, they also stocked free-range eggs and fantastic veg. I know they worked closely with the coffee lounge and card shop to support local businesses.

"It was a fantastic butchers, especially at Christmas, and I am really going to miss it. I was a regular customer and I always got cold meats and turkey there at Christmas. I am going to have to look for somewhere else to go.

"They always delivered a great customer service and I hope they are taking a few days holiday as I never saw them not there, so they deserve a break. I did not know they were closing until I saw the equipment coming out earlier this week.

"They have worked there for a quarter of a century and they were incredibly dedicated to the business. They will be very sadly missed."

Julie Killoran, East Staffordshire Borough Councillor for Stretton, said: "I did not know it was closing until I saw it. Obviously I am sad to see it go like a lot of people in the village as I do use it myself.

"It is like 'you win some and lose some' as we have now got Birds which is brilliant and has created a lot of footfall but we are sad to see the butchers go."

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