Hambledon Community Shop
Village shop gets much needed facelift
Defra grant opens up new opportunities for village shop
An eighteenth century barn adjoining the village shop in Hambledon, Surrey has been restored and turned into a brand new space thanks to a grant of over £28,000 from Defra''s Rural Development Service in the South East.
The restoration of the barn has opened up new opportunities for the shop, which is located within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and is run by the local villagers. The shop is an important focal point for the village, as it contains the local Post Office and is a calling point for the mobile County Library.
Successful applications to other funding agencies mean that villagers can now expand the shop further enabling them to introduce more locally grown and organic produce together with a range of new services including a coffee shop.
Jane Woolley, a Trustee of the Hambledon Village Trust, which owns the Village shop, said:
"After thirteen years of trading as a community venture, Hambledon Village shop and Post Office was badly in need of a face lift. Thanks to Defra, it now has the additional space it needs to modernise its layout and upgrade products and services to appeal to a wider clientele, particularly the increasing number of young professional families who are moving into the village."
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