THE newly-formed Sheen Business Association is hoping to put East Sheen back on the map as a place to shop, while tackling graffiti, litter and crime.

But organiser Jackie Upton, manager of lingerie shop Sheen Uncovered hit out at the big traders for failing to support the local initiative, naming and shaming Boots, Woolworths, Safeways, Thomas Cook, Lunn Poly and Cargo as prime culprits.

She said: "As a small trader, I gave £150 and that has come directly out of our wages here, which we work very hard for.

"We had a massive battle to get £100 out of Nationwide Building Society and we are in negotiations with HSBC," she added,"but one company actually said to us, ‘we don’t support local charities!’"

The main focus of the campaign, which is running under the slogan ‘Making Sheen a place to shop’ is Christmas, with a big drive to fill the streets with lights, sponsored by local businesses, and organise a shopping night for December 11th.

The regeneration is going to be based around a calendar of events like Hallowe’en, and a poster campaign that they hope will involve the borough’s schoolchildren.

"We want to involve the community around this event," Jackie adds, "by fund-raising for charity, perhaps for local schools.

"We would like local PTAs to get involved as well as local businesses."

Councillors from Richmond and Teddington have been helping them, including Cllr John Ross, who said he would be willing to approach the larger businesses and press them for their support.

He said: "I certainly would be happy to talk to them, because we have seen in other areas of the borough that these larger companies can work very well with the community, for example the managers of Richmond and Twickenham Waitrose are on their respective town centre management boards."

Cllr Ross has advised the SBA to try and model their activities on the Whitton Business Association, which he says "has done extremely well in terms of keeping the economic liveliness of the high street up to scratch".

He also admits that Sheen needs an injection of smart business thinking.

"It’s a funny place, because it doesn’t have its own identity," he suggested. "It’s on the south circular and people just pass through."

At the moment, the committee members are circulating a questionnaire among the shop owners finding out what they want done locally and promoting membership.

Jackie Upton said: "We want anybody and everybody to get involved and tell us what issues they want us to address."

One of these issues, Jackie Upton is sure, will be parking. "There isn’t enough parking at the moment, all we have here are 20 minute bays which are no good and we estimate we lose between two and five thousand pounds a year because shoppers who want to visit us can’t park.

"Our windows are our prime selling point. People tell us they are amazing but if people are not stopping our windows can be as amazing as you like."

It will cost £25 for individuals or businesses to join the association because, as Jackie says: "There are costs involved in the administration."

As Cllr Ross says: "There is a limit to what the council can do but what we do want to see is economic vitality in all the high streets in the borough."

The next open meeting is at Waitrose on July 1st.

But Jackie adds: "We have to get further sponsorship or the scheme won’t go ahead."