A BUTCHER is celebrating after his family business was named the January shop of the month in the Save Our Shops (SOS) campaign.

The campaign, launched by Northwich’s town mayor Clr Alison Gerrard in conjunction with the Guardian, aims to help independent retailers through the recession.

At each month’s town council meeting, Clr Gerrard pulls a different business out of the hat, we profile the shop and urge all our 33,400 readers to visit and buy something, even if it is something small.

If every reader spent £1 it would soon add up for the business.

A FAMILY of butchers with a history dating back to the 1700s is this month’s winner of the Save Our Shops campaign.

The Hormbrey family first opened a shop in Crown Street in 1782, on the site of the former Guardian office.

They moved from there to a shop in Witton Street, opposite Iceland, before moving to their current Hormbrey’s shop in Market Way in the 1960s.

George Hormbrey, the current custodian of the family business, said: “We moved here about 44 years ago, when I started aged 15.

“Weaver Square was a building site then and we were in the first set of shops, there was no precinct then just the market.

“We’re the only ones left from those original shops.”

George, 59, who works with him mum Hilda and 34-year-old son Mark, said there is a great pride to running a family business with such a long history.

“It’s quite pleasing really,” he said.

“I did have a choice in what I wanted to do but this is something that carries on with the family – it’s something you do, it’s bred in you.”

Mark, who went to St Nicholas Catholic High School, agreed with his dad.

“When I was at school I wanted to go into the butchery trade,” he said.

“Like my dad said really, it’s just something you do – but I never thought it was something to fall back on, it’s something I wanted to do.

“I enjoy the job and meeting different people, you get all sorts of characters and that’s really good.”

Generations of Hormbreys have grown up alongside generations of their customers.

George said: “There are families where the grandmother comes here, her children and grandchildren.

“A lot of people say they remember me in my pushchair.”

The family say the secret of their success is hard work and dedication, as well as quality products and professional service.

• If all our 33,400 readers bought six sausages from Hormbrey’s, for about £1, that would make the shop £33,400.