A PHOTOGRAPHY student from Pencombe wants to show that Bromyard’s independent retailers are picture perfect, with a new exhibition planned for the town.

Gemma Warr, who is in the last couple of months of her photography degree in Hereford, is currently undertaking a comprehensive portrait study of almost 30 local shops and their shopkeepers.

She hopes the pictures will provide a valuable boost to local businesses by showing what an asset they are to the community.

Miss Warr, aged 21, said: “I have always shopped in Bromyard and always liked how different it was to Hereford and Worcester.

“There’s one place called Gilbert’s and it’s literally like stepping back in time, but you can get anything under the sun there.

“They’re all run by real characters as well.”

Miss Warr is currently half way through her project and is looking forward to taking the final few snaps.

She said: “It’s been a bigger job than I thought, but I’m not scared of the challenge. All the shopkeepers so far have been very positive.”

The work will be exhibited at the Falcon Hotel, Broad Street, later in the year.