Exbourne and Jacobstowe (The Underground Shop)
How the project began
In December 2001 the village shop and post office in the parish of Exbourne with Jacobstowe in rural West Devon closed and was sold as a private dwelling. This meant that villagers would have to make a journey of at least 5 miles each way to reach the nearest town for shops and services.
Early in 2002 following a public meeting to discuss the closure of the community''s only store and post office, the Exbourne Community Initiative Committee was formed. The original mandate of the organisation was to try and re-establish a shop - a community-run shop - possibly with additional facilities alongside it. The great importance of such activities in safeguarding the quality of village life was keenly recognised and the initiative was supported by the vast majority of local residents.
The Association quickly established a temporary shop, cafe and post office in Exbourne''s village hall, opening 2 mornings a week and run (with the exception of the Post Office section) by volunteers. This facility has now been running for 4 years and has proved to be an extremely successful social enterprise.
The next step....
In December 2001 the village shop and post office in the parish of Exbourne with Jacobstowe in rural West Devon closed and was sold as a private dwelling. This meant that villagers would have to make a journey of at least 5 miles each way to reach the nearest town for shops and services.
Early in 2002 following a public meeting to discuss the closure of the community''s only store and post office, the Exbourne Community Initiative Committee was formed. The original mandate of the organisation was to try and re-establish a shop - a community-run shop - possibly with additional facilities alongside it. The great importance of such activities in safeguarding the quality of village life was keenly recognised and the initiative was supported by the vast majority of local residents.
The Association quickly established a temporary shop, cafe and post office in Exbourne''s village hall, opening 2 mornings a week and run (with the exception of the Post Office section) by volunteers. This facility has now been running for 4 years and has proved to be an extremely successful social enterprise.
Information is from the shop website
Case Study
Exbourne and Jacobstowe Community Association Ltd received funding and advise from the Enterprise4Inclusion project. To read the case study, please click here.