A COLEFORD business celebrated an impressive milestone as it moved into its third year of trading on June 1.

Forest Sweets and Treats, a traditional sweet shop based on St John’s Street, celebrated its growth over the last 12 months and thanked its customer base for their support.

In a post to its social media, a spokesperson for the store said: “The end of May will see Forest Sweets and Treats ending our second year of trading and going into our third year.

“Over the last 12 months we have expanded our sugar-free range with over 24 jars of sweets to choose from. We have introduced a fudge corner with over 15 different flavours to tempt you, with dairy-free options as well.

“Our traditional sweet range is still changing and growing along with our pick and mix varieties. From supplying birthday sweet cones to wedding cart sweets and everything in between.

“None of the above would have been possible without the support of our local communities and visitors, so a big thank you to everyone that has visited us and shared our business as we continue to grow and establish ourselves.”

Tanya Pritchard, owner of the business, explained: “We opened Forest Sweets and Treats on the 1st June 2024, our aim was to reincarnate a Traditional Sweet Shop. Myself and my husband travelled all over the UK first looking at other set ups, what worked and what didn't, throughout this process we took on board that we were never going to compete with local supermarkets and would never try to, as this would be a big mistake to try and compete with them.

“Since opening our little sweet shop we soon realised that there were gaps in the market for supplying a range of dietary needs from sugar free sweets to vegan and gluten free options, which we have built on over the last two years and with a great selection of options to cater to customers needs.

“We were also fortunate that holidaymakers and visitors stay around the area and love to visit the local town and pop into our shop. From word of mouth and media coverage we have had visitors from as far afield as New Zealand and Canada.

“As locals, we also like to have a good chin wag and our older residents that come in love to have natter like they would have years ago in their local shops, it's all about engaging and creating a welcoming space.

“We are always sourcing sweets from bygone times and listening to customers' requests, not forgetting the younger generation we have a great selection of pick a mix and ready made sweet bags.”

The business now turns its attention to this Sunday, as it will be at the upcoming rebirth of Coleford’s popular Faddle Fair.