The owner of an independent shop selling clothes and toys for young children has thanked her loyal customers on its third anniversary.

Sid and Evie's, in George Lane, South Woodford, opened its doors in May 2010 and boss Suzanne Bennett has been at the forefront of campaigns encouraging residents to "shop local" ever since.

Ms Bennett, who named the shop after her two children, said that while she was delighted at the milestone she remained concerned about difficulties facing small traders in the area.

She said: "It's great to get where we are but there's no doubt that it's really tough for small businesses at the moment.

"I think it's due to a combination of factors. The new Westfield in Stratford has taken away people, the recession has changed shopping habits and the weather in recent years has also had an impact.

"But we've always been really pleased that we loyal customers who keep coming back and are very faithful.

"That is the main thing for me. We have to offer better service than at places like Westfield to keep people coming back.

"When the customer is happy it makes you feel good, and then they tell other parents about the shop, which is also a big plus".

In 2011 Ms Bennett, 44, helped found a campaign urging residents in South Woodford to support their local stores.

It included her own posters of Lord Kitchener with the tagline “Shop local, South Woodford. Your High Street Needs You!”, which were subsequently displayed across the area.

"It was a lot of hard work and took up massive amount of my time, but I hope it did have an impact," she said.

"Redbridge Council has been trying to help traders out too, which has been good, such as with the Redbridge Card discount card scheme. But I think they could still push and promote it a bit more, traders here need all the help we can get".

Ms Bennett said in future she hoped to continue promoting the shop's brand and internet presence, but had no plans to open any new stores.

She added: "I've been in retail for the last 25 years or so and I love it. There's not much money in retail these days but I do it because I'm passionate about it and I still get a buzz getting new products.

"I'm just very grateful for all our loyal customers."