The Community Shop has now reached the airwaves, with the residents of Ambridge talking about setting up their own Community Shop. Below is an extract from today's Telegraph discussing a new Community Shop opening in Thorncombe, Dorset.
Ed
".....is a real-life story that could be repeated in Ambridge, fictional setting of The Archers, where the village shop looks set to close as a result of the declining fortunes of its owners, Jack and Peggy Wooley.
Vanessa Whitburn, the editor of the Radio 4 show, said: "That would impact on quite a lot of our characters, not only Susan who works there, but older people who enjoy the shop as a meeting place and social venue."
While Pat Archer and local "busybody" Linda Snell are intent on setting up a community-run venture, Miss Whitburn warned: "Pat will have to get far more people on her committee if she's going to make it work."
The Plunkett Foundation, a charity which promotes self-help in rural communities and which provided £20,000 towards Thorncombe's shop, reported that 2009 was seeing an unprecedented number of such community-run ventures being set up.
So far this year, 25 shops have opened and there are a further 65 in the pipeline, which would take the total number to at least 285, stretching from Cornwall to the Isle of Skye.
Peter Couchman, chief executive of the foundation, said at one time a community-run shop would have been seen as "unusual" but the idea had gradually gained acceptance.
"I think it is incredibly encouraging to see them talking about this on The Archers," he said. "The more we see it going into mainstream thinking, the better. It's an incredibly good sign.
"We think we've reached a tipping point where we have now gone from a few communities doing something that others saw as unusual to a situation where people are now thinking they could do it too.
"It is seen as a credible, viable option. It is incredibly rare for the shops to fail, closure rates are virtually zero."
While the catalyst for action is often the impending closure of a shop, villages which have not had one for more than 20 years are also joining in the burgeoning movement. "
By Ian Johnston Telegraph.co.uk 8th November
About CCSG
- Cheswardine Shop
- Cheswardine Shop Group is working towards re-establishing a shop in the Village. This will provide : a source of daily provisions locally, a meeting place in the heart of the community, an outlet for local produce and an opportunity for work experience. The Shop will be a non-profit making initiative, run by the community for the community.