Churchinford and District Community Shop
Following the closure of Churchinford General Stores for the second time in as many years, a public meeting chaired by Councillor Ross Henley was held in April 2010 to gauge interest in setting up a new shop. The packed village hall left us in no doubt as to the importance of the shop to the area and there was considerable support for the provision of a community shop as soon as possible. A small group of people volunteered to find ways and means of setting up a shop and the first shop committee was formed.
The need for a shop was endorsed by the results of a survey of the village and neighbourhood carried out by the committee in the summer of 2010. Consequently, the committee set about assessing the potential viability of any future shop and identifying suitable premises. After some months researching and exploring various possibilities, it was decided that, initially, the best solution was to put in place a temporary portacabin shop. This would allow the shop to be established relatively quickly and with minimal outlay. It would also allow time to gain experience in running the shop and gauge support from the community before embarking on a more ambitious permanent solution. Having already ‘rescued’ the post office (currently situated in the village hall kitchen), the village hall committee kindly agreed to the siting of the portacabin in the village hall car park.
To provide a firm legal basis for moving things forward and managing the shop, a Community Interest Company (CIC) was registered on 4th November 2010 (Churchinford and District General Stores). The committee, overseen by the Directors, continued with the nitty-gritty of getting the project off the ground.
Information from the Shop website http://www.churchinfordshop.co.uk/about-us/history/
Shop Opening: May 2011
It seemed like the whole of Churchinford and district came out to celebrate the opening of the shop. What a wonderful, heart-warming day it was... It does seem that the shop is in a great place where people are able to linger and chat as well as buy local products and good basics.
The volunteer staff have been really marvellous. It has been a steep learning curve for us all and they have shown a great deal of patience whilst we put procedures in place that will help the shop run smoothly and efficiently and ensure we comply with the law. Customers also have been very patient and thank you for that. We are getting there although there are bound to be a few hiccups. Communication is the key- keep giving us the feedback.
Information from the shop website http://www.churchinfordshop.co.uk/