THE Sevenoaks Loyalty Card bagged its 100th member – just 77 days after being launched in town.

The Valentina restaurant and deli in the High Street signed up to the scheme, which has been a roaring success since it went live in March.

Shoppers have been enthusiastic about the scheme, devised by the Chronicle and supported by the Sevenoaks District Chamber of Commerce.

It has also stretched out of town, to Seal, Dunton Green, Stone Street, Riverhead, Otford and Halstead.

And Valentina's manager, Antonio Zoccola, cracked open the Champagne and baked a cake to mark the major milestone.

"I cannot believe we are the 100th to sign up," he said.

"We are delighted to join the scheme. All over town you can see shops and restaurants displaying the Loyalty Card sign, so it is obviously a huge success. We have been here a year now and we love being a part of the town so it was the most natural thing to do to sign up."

Chamber of Commerce director Mark Tuvey said: "I am genuinely overwhelmed by how successful the scheme has been.

"When it was launched in March, the idea was to bring a bit of buzz back to the High Street and remind people to do their shopping here.

"I have lived in Sevenoaks since 1976 and have always been a big fan of keeping business local.

"Wherever I can, I will do my shopping in the town. That is not just the initiative of the chamber but also something I hold dear.

"The loyalty card has also been a great demonstration of how we can all work together."

Valerie Glencross of Sevenoaks Bookshop, one of the first to sign up in March, said: "Why would a trader not want to be in the scheme?

"It makes perfect sense and only costs £40 a year."

Loyalty card membership has now soared past the magic 100, after High Street store The Chinaman joined and bank NatWest became a supporter.

Primarily aimed at retail business, other firms can also get involved by becoming a supporter or sponsoring the printing of the loyalty cards.

To find out more, visit the website, sevenoaksloyaltycard.co.uk or e-mail editor@sevenoaks-chronicle.co.uk