Be Inspired
The community ownership model is proving to be an increasingly successful way of providing valuable rural services. There are now over 230 rural community owned shops nationally and this number is growing at a rate of around 10% each year. Every community has its own inspiring story to tell - all unique yet there are similarities too. We hope that this page will inspire you and your community to take action and return services to your village
Here are some inspiring stories from communities who have taken the lead and not looked back.
1. Tackley All-in-One Centre
The film below features Tackley All-in-One Centre, a fantastic example of a community coming together to provide a valuable village amenity and at the same time creating a strong social core. The film tells the story and reveals the social benefits too of having a shop wihin the village.
2. Broadhempston Community-Owned Shop
The community of Broadhempston in Devon are very proud of their community shop, and rightly so. Like many rural communities, Broadhempston was devastated by the news that their village shop was due to close with no sign of a new shop keeper. However the community refused to let this valuable service disappear. Inspired by the many success stories surrounding community-owned shops, and with the support of the Village CORE Programme, Broadhempston made the decision to adopt the community-ownership model, and has not looked back.
Broadhempston re-opened its village shop on the 6th April, after the old shop had been redecorated, restocked and had benefited from a new set of signs to mark the community takeover. Under community ownership Broadhempston Shop has become increasingly popular, trebling its previous turnover in the first few months of trading, and has becoming a buzzing social hub as well as a place to shop. The shop provides an essential service not only to Broadhempston but also the nearby villages of Littlehempston, Staverton, Landscove, Woodland and numerous surrounding hamlets.
An official launch and celebration was held in the shop and village square 12 weeks later in July 2009. Residents from Broadhempston and the surrounding villages turned out to ‘celebrate their shop’. Local suppliers also attended to promote the availability of local food within the shop and the square hosted a café for people to enjoy the celebratory atmosphere and live music.
The success of Broadhempston Community Shop is a result of the determination, dedication and generousity of its villagers. The support for the shop is clear; through fundraising (succeeding in raising its £20,000 target), with over 40 volunteers helping with the everyday running of the shop and an active committee, Broadhempston has ensured the survival of a vital rural amenity.
3. Lodsworth Larder: an eco-friendly, sustainable, community shop project
Name: Lodsworth Larder Limited
Legal structure: IPS ViRSA model rules
Opened: November 2009
Lodsworth Larder, an eco-friendly, sustainable community shop project
For 20 years after the previous shop closed down in 1988, the residents of the ancient West Sussex village of Lodsworth had had to make a 7-mile round trip to buy a pint of milk. A groundswell of support for the concept of a community-owned shop came to a head in 2007, and after two years of active fundraising, public meetings, questionnaires and consultations, building started on a unique and aesthetically beautiful purpose-built shop in early 2009.
At the centre of the project, along with the overwhelming need for a local shop, was another imperative: to be as environmentally friendly and sustainable as possible. With Lodsworth boasting more Grade I and II listed buildings than anywhere else in Sussex, and situated within a designated conservation area, it was important that the project make a careful assessment of the shop’s impact on the environment. The building is entirely constructed from locally sourced materials that can regenerate. Most of the wood used in the construction came from an area of derelict mixed coppice woodland last cut over 50 years ago, and the woodland’s bio-diversity has increased as a result. All wood was milled locally, thus saving road miles. The shop was designed by local architect Valerie Hinde and built by The Roundwood Timber Framing Company Limited, a specialist Lodsworth-based eco-friendly building firm, run by Ben Law whose 'Woodland House’ was featured on Channel 4’s Grand Designs.
Lodsworth Larder is not just green in its construction but also in its day-to-day operation: photovoltaic tiles on the roof generate electricity for the shop (a meter inside the shop indicates the kilowatt savings for all to see); there is heat reclamation from the fridges; the walls are thickly insulated with local sheep’s wool; and the shop also features low-energy lights and water recycling systems. These measures should all reduce the running costs of the shop to levels below those of a traditional build. Plus, of course, the sale of local produce and the very fact that the residents can shop within the village means a great saving in food miles and CO2 emissions.
Putting these environmental credentials at the heart of the plans certainly paid off when raising funds, as it ticked a lot of boxes on the grant applications. To fund the build, residents formed an Industrial and Provident Society and raised £160,000 through grants (including £40,000 from the Plunkett Foundation's Village Core Programme), local fundraising and selling shares, as well as a 'sponsor-a-tile’ scheme (£1 enabled everyone to sponsor a cedar roof tile, which was then engraved with the individual's name). A site central to the village was chosen: the car park of the local pub, the Hollist Arms.
With the community firmly behind the project, from buying shares to wielding paintbrushes, Lodsworth Larder opened in November 2009 and is already performing above business plan predictions. In addition to general groceries, newspapers and off-licence, the shop sells locally sourced vegetables, meats, cheeses, milk, breads, chocolates and cakes, as well as ethically sourced products such as fair-trade and environmentally sound cleaning products. Top-end produce sits alongside standard everyday fare to ensure that while the locals can purchase their basics, there is plenty to delight the visiting tourist (many of whom make the trip to Lodsworth specifically to see the shop itself). New ideas are constantly being examined by the committee: recently a scheme has got under way for the shop to act as a fresh fish pick-up point. If the Lodsworth Larder continues to live up to expectations and proves itself to be a sustainable rural enterprise, it could well become a model for other villages to follow.
View Lodsworth Larder on the Community Shop Directory including youtube video links.
