SPRING NEWS

10 April 2012

Wow….. it is nearly our 1^st anniversary and we have so much to celebrate as our shop goes from strength to strength and chat to chat by the amount of time we all spend gassing in the cabin.

Sales

So how is the shop doing?… Absolutely great as once again we had a great month in March, reaching £3000 per week twice and certainly didn’t falter during the shorter Easter opening hours, so as David Lowe quoted; “we should all continue to be very proud of our community shop project which continues to be a tribute to our community enterprise, togetherness and spirit.”

You will also be pleased to know that last month your shop made several contributions to local concerns including Churchstanton School and the “Sport Relief” fun-run a couple of weeks ago, when we stayed open late and donated towards the competitors’ refreshments – which were well deserved racy runners!

If you have any ideas for community contributions the shop might make, please contact Ruth in the shop, as she’s always pleased to find some way we can help others.

Up & Coming Events

So what’s coming up…… as well as our Queen’s Jubilee and (no offence Ma’am as we are all Up the Blighty); but it is our anniversary first on the Sunday 14^th May. So to celebrate our 12 months in business Ann & Graham Salmon have kindly agreed to open up their lovely gardens for the afternoon.  For a small admission charge there will be stalls, games and cakes along with afternoon tea, so a super way to celebrate our success with a chat and a cuppa in serene surroundings. Look out for the beautiful posters of Ann’s garden with the full details.

In addition, I think Ruth and Karen are planning something to mark the occasion at the shop on the Saturday (13th May) so keep your eyes and ears open for the details of the goodies on that day!

A New Permanent Shop

Your shop board continue to plan for the proposed move to the new shop later this year, though the builders do seem to be taking their time getting started on the actual structure. We continue to apply for funding for the new premises and as you may be aware this includes an application for a government funded PWLB loan through the Churchstanton Parish Council. We will hopefully be able to write to you all soon regards a full breakdown of the proposals and a clear picture of the shop’s new future.

Finally

On a slightly sadder note, David Lowe our Chairman has stepped down to concentrate and prioritise his own business. David has been committed to achieving permanent premises for our Community Shop, and we heartily commend him for his valuable time and vision. However, he’s still on the board as a director, so we’re not rid of him yet!

Let’s continue to keep our shop super, smashing and great – see you there.

Have your say

This is your shop. We welcome any suggestions and ideas so please leave your comments here.

The Company would like to acknowledge contributions by grant or in kind from the following concerns without which it would not have been possible to set up the shop:

The Co-operative (to learn more about membership of the Co-op go to the Co-operative Membership Page)

Somerset County Council-  Rural Services Fund

Taunton Deane Borough Council – Tackling Rural Deprivation Support Fund

Wessex Eagle (Eagle Plant)

First4IT Solutions

Blackdown Hills AONB Sustainable Development Fund