A family who recently arrived in Galashiels have become the second winners of the town’s fast-growing loyalty shopping scheme. Craig Anderson and his family moved to Galashiels last month from Dundee. Craig, Minister for the Free Church of Scotland, quickly came across Mi Rewards, the new town loyalty programme which launched in June. Craig’s purchases in local independent retailers resulted in him winning a £100 voucher for Kinalba, a Galashiels-based luxury cashmere accessories brand. Opting to shop with local businesses over others, Craig said: “I’ve stopped getting petrol in other places and go to Dalgleish instead as it means I’ll be getting points!” Mi Rewards allows customers to automatically gain points when spending money in participating businesses with which they can then enter local and national prize draws. The programme has been gaining more traction with over 300 customers claiming points at the 50 participating businesses, and more signing up every day. Thousands of pounds have already been spent through Mi Rewards, with the number of transactions growing every week. Debbie Paterson, co-founder of Kinalba which offered August’s prize, was excited to be part of the loyalty programme: “Being a small, family-run business and having a lot of ties with the local community, we’re always happy to support any initiatives taking place in the town. “Mi Rewards is brilliant in encouraging people to shop on their High Street and support local traders.” Anyone who wants to start using Mi Rewards can download the app and register for free, which can be done here: https://galashielsheartland.org.uk/mi-rewards/. To start earning points, just follow the simple steps to activate the account. Businesses who would like to take part can contact hello@galashielsheartland.org.uk.