Iffley Community Shop
Business to Community Award Winner 2003
Iffley Community Shop, which is run entirely by volunteers, won the Business to Community award. The shop, in Church Way, Iffley, was set up as a commercial venture in 1999 manned entirely by volunteers, selling everything from fresh groceries to household products. The shop, which was forced to close twice, was saved by villagers who joined forces and set up a non-profit making enterprise.
Information from http://www.st-birinus.oxon.sch.uk/ochc/index.php?page=ochc_sbs9
Shop example of good practice
Saddened by the loss of the hub of village life – their local shop and post office – the residents of Iffley Village decided to run it as a thriving not for profit shop selling locally sourced fruit and vegetables and fair-trade goods as well as providing all the services associated with your traditional village shop and post office. In May 1999 Iffley Village shop closed due to financial difficulties, even with village support.
However, despite its obviously poor commercial potential, residents in Iffley Village felt that it was important to reopen the shop. A group of residents embarked on the venture themselves agreeing that the shop should be known as the Iffley Community Shop, run as a non-profit making enterprise staffed by a volunteer force from the village and managed by a village shop committee. In October 1999 the shop opened and has become once more a focal point of village life.
Who has been involved?
- Residents of Iffley Village
- Iffley Village Local Agenda 21 group
- Various organizations assisted with business advice and the setting up of the shop
- East Hanney Shop
- Local producers such as bakers, graphic designers, cooks and allotment holders
- Funding Sources Used
The main resource is the volunteers who are required to staff the shop. There are currently 30 volunteers, who are mostly retired people in the village.
The Iffley Village Shop Association has a committee of 12 including a chairwoman, treasurer and secretary.
The community shop has received grants from a variety of trusts and bodies including Friends of Iffley Village, the Co-op and the New Horizons Trust. Fund raising activities have also included garage and car boot sales. Initially a voucher scheme was set up where villagers could purchase vouchers of various amounts to redeem in the shop.
Article from Oxford County Council, Good Practice Projects, Iffley Village Shop