These young ladies were taking part in a ‘Hostess of the Year’ competition.

It was promoted by Wavy Line, a consortium of small shopkeepers, who banded together to fight the threat of the supermarkets.

The winner could expect to be crowned Miss Wavy Line and receive a host of prizes at a top London hotel.

We know the name of only one of the contestants – Sue Laverty, of Stratfield Road, Kidlington, who is in the spotted dress, third from the right.

She tells me: “I have never seen this picture before. A friend persuaded me to enter.

“I remember a story in the Oxford Star with the headline – “Shopper Susan is a winner!”

“I had to go to the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London for the final. My friend went with me, while my husband Mick babysat. How we got there, I don’t know.”

The picture was sent in by Peter Forbes, of Headington, who was the official photographer. It was taken at the Wavy Line shop on the corner of Bicester Road and Blenheim Road, Kidlington, in 1977.

All seven contestants took part in the area final at the Randolph Hotel in Oxford, which Mrs Laverty won. She then went forward to the national final in London.

A large number of Wavy Line stores sprang up in Oxfordshire and neighbouring counties as small shopkeepers hit back at the expansion of supermarkets.

Independent grocers, who had faithfully served families during and after the war, found their livelihoods at risk as customers deserted them in search of cheaper prices and a wider range of food elsewhere.

But some decided to fight back, and Wavy Line was born.

Small traders clubbed together to strengthen their bargaining power with manufacturers and suppliers to buy in bulk more cheaply than if they were acting alone.

It was hoped that a few tempting offers, prominently advertised in their windows, would entice customers inside and encourage them to do their whole ‘shop’ there.

In 1961, Wavy Line took a stall at St Giles Fair in Oxford to spread its message that small corner shops were worth supporting.

It was staffed by assistants who worked in some of the 54 Wavy Line stores in the area at that time.

Large notices explained what Wavy Line meant to everyone, and many of the cut-price offers shoppers could expect were displayed on the stall. One girl even had the offers plastered over her dress!

Can anyone tell us the names of any of the other girls in Peter Forbes’s picture? Write and let me know.