It has been an extremely tough first half of the year for traders in Ewell Village - to say the least.

Several months of rain, persistent flooding, six weeks of gasworks and an aborted plan to shut parking bays down the High Street, have made for very challenging trading conditions.

But with the sun finally shining and the economy starting to pick up, reporter Koel Mukherjee spent a day in the village speaking to traders about their battle to keep the high street alive.

Many point to a long term lack of understanding and support from the authorities as key factors in its current decline - although there are signs this is changing.

Almost everybody notes that the place was more bustling when they first opened their doors, and a number of traders talked about a long-term decline in their business and the high street.

Kenneth Eve who runs Kenneth J Eve High Class Butcher said more residents needed to support their local shops: "Of the three or four councillors I know, not one of them shops in my shop, and I don’t call that supporting the village.

"I’ve been here for 27 years and I have never known it as hard as it is at the moment. Food retail is horrendous."

The existence of a large Sainsbury’s at one end of the village and a Sainsbury’s Local at the other has made things very difficult for him.

His concerns were shared by Satbir Sandhu who runs Ewell Bakery. It used to attract a lot of customers from nearby schools and colleges until the Sainsbury’s Local opened.

As they were already competing with the local Co-op, this made things even harder. With the added pressure from the supermarkets, shops in Ewell have to work harder than ever to look good and entice customers.

If traders don’t work together to make the street attractive, people will spend less time there, and all shops stand to lose custom..

Several traders raised the issue of the empty units in the street, with windows covered in newspaper and signs promising services that are no longer there.

There are currently six empty retail premises in the village - a total of 105 metres of dead retail frontage.

Carol Palmer owns high-end clothes shop Riche of Ewell Village, and is extremely concerned about this issue.

She wants to see the closed units filled with vibrant businesses that work together to offer an intelligent mix of classy, grown-up shopping and fun spots where parents can take their children.

"That is the way the village is going to get its heart back," she said.

Mr Sandhu agrees on the need for different, appealing shops that complement each other - and is worried that when empty units are filled, it will be with the same kind of businesses that are already there.

"All you’ve got in this village is food and hair!" he said with a wry smile.

"If that keeps happening we will all be fighting for the same customers, and everyone’s going to end up cutting each other’s throats."

"A bit of love and attention would be nice," said Ms Palmer, pointing to peeling paint on buildings, and weeds growing in the grassy sections of the pavement.

The impact of the recession is also an important factor in the street’s fortune. Erol Harman, owner of Ewell Village Dry Cleaners, said he has been open for 14 years, and in that time his business has gone "down and down and down".

There’s a simple reason for this, he says: "Lack of money in people’s pockets."

Mark Peach, the owner of computer repair shop Fastfixyourpc.com, said all businesses are having a tough time as we emerge the recession.

While most are stoic about the wider economic situation, they all point out that it takes very little to put people off coming through their doors in this climate - which is why they are passionate about the need to have their voices heard by the authorities.

"We just want the council to listen to the residents and shopkeepers," Mr Harman said. "All we want is a bit of understanding and humanity. That’s all we need. We have to respect one another."

But it is not all doom and gloom.

All Things Nice, a cafe and sweet shop which opened at the end of March, has had a phenomenal start and the owners are excited about building a future on Ewell High Street, aided by a grant from the borough council for shop-front improvement.

Mr Peach, whose shop opened 18 months ago, said he has had a good first year trading in Ewell, though the recent gasworks made things difficult.

Though he is angry about the county council’s attempted removal of the parking bays, he had kind words for the borough’s business development manager, Adam Worley.

"He’s on our side. He’s having to fight the council on what’s good for business - he’s fighting our corner." Mr Worley, who is due to leave his post in the next few weeks, has been attending the monthly Ewell Traders’ Association meetings and said that he is working with the traders to support them in the ways that they want.

Speaking about the wider issues facing businesses, he mentions campaigns to lower national business rates, which can be so high that they bleed smaller shops dry.

On a smaller scale, he has been in touch with both the county and borough council about fixing the pavements in Ewell to improve the high street’s appearance, which should happen next year, along with more money to improve Ewell’s appearance.

He also worked with the traders and Ewell Village Residents’ Association on Ewell Yule, a successful event which brought people into the village during the festive season.

It is hoped that its success will be repeated at a similar summer event on July 12.

Brian Angus, Chairman of the Residents’ Association, said: "You will be surprised how much time and focus members of my small residents’ association committee put in to working with Ewell High Street traders."

In addition to working on the summer fair, the organisation is beginning an initiative to identify the owners of Ewell’s empty units and to see what can be done about filling them.

The Residents’ Association, Mr Worley and the Ewell Traders’ Association all worked toghether on a successful proposal to keep the high street parking bays, but for short-term parking, with no parking during rush hours and unrestricted parking overnight.

Every trader has their own opinions about the problems facing Ewell, and what should be done, partly dependent on the nature of their business.

But they all understand the need to work together, and want to turn things around as a community.

Having a personal connection with customers is regarded as a key to success in the village.

Many of those rushing in and out of the dry cleaners, for instance, have been going there for years because they know Mr Harman and he knows what kind of service they want.

At Ewell Bakery 82-year-old Gordon Tidbury said he had been a regular five to six days a week for the last six years, and had lost count of the friends he had made there - including the owners.

The new owners of All Things Nice were themselves former customers of Home Sweets Home and were inspired to become part of the Ewell business community to keep the sweet shop alive.

What’s more they are drawing on a well of long-standing loyalty and goodwill from the local community to make it a success.

Despite all the issues, and a sense of pessimism from some traders, there is a sense that the high street can make a comeback, with a little extra help from the council and the strong community spirit and the relationships the traders foster with their customers.

What do you think can be done to help Ewell Village thrive? Leave a comment below.