Two residents are designing a playing card set to celebrate Marlow's attractions, events, community groups and local businesses. 

Emma Sweet and Nicola Metcalfe previously worked together to create a Henley playing card set, which went on sale last month after the idea was originally floated last summer. 

Emma described the project as: "A celebration of all that's great in the area - things that are interesting both to people who already live there and to those who are just visiting."

She added: "The idea came to me because you look on TripAdvisor and you don't often find the hidden gems or what residents know to be good places."

Cards in the Ace Henley pack include quirky designs of the area's Town Hall, its Christmas Festival, its Oaken Grove Vineyard and more.

Emma said that she found the best way to prioritise both local people and visiting tourists was by creating a system of sponsors for each of the 52 cards in the pack.

Some organisations and businesses sponsored their own cards, while others sponsored cards focused on local monuments or locations.

Each sponsor is given an annual choice of whether to renew their sponsorship in an ongoing effort to stay evergreen.

Emma, who lives in Knowl Hill in Hurley, enlisted Marlow-based illustrator Nicola Metcalfe to help her design the Henley set and said she has her sights set on Marlow for the next deck. 

She said: "I did a set based on Henley first, mainly because I work there. I only wanted to create sets for places where there is a really strong sense of community and Marlow has that in heaps.

"Both areas are similar in that they're known for certain things - Henley for the Regatta, for example - and I wanted to show that there is more to them."

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She added that there was amazing community support for the Henley set, which features a mix of whimsical Nicola Metcalfe illustrations of shops, pubs and events, among other local attractions.

The Ace playing cards project also encourages people to explore more, whether that exploration is taking place on their doorstep or a little further afield.

Emma said: “At a time when energy bills are high and so many people are struggling, we’re very keen to get people out and about and engaging with their community more. What’s great about these cards is that they’re accessible to anyone of any age.”

25p from every Henley card pack sold will be donated to charity.

Readers can view the Henley playing cards here for a taste of what's to come in the Marlow set, which is expected to become available around late summer to early autumn this year.