Shop brings generation together
A GROUP of people responsible for resurrecting their village shop have received an award for community retailing.
Forty volunteers have been praised for bringing Broadhempston's shop back into being and making it the heartbeat of the village.
The service it provides and its support of local suppliers earned the store the My Shop is Your Shop Community Retailing Award from the Federation of Wholesale Distributors.
Broadhempston Community Shop was taken over by residents when it faced closure in 2009. Since then it has grown to include a coffee shop and library.
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The shop also supports small businesses and craft workers, with volunteers taking responsibility for sourcing locally. Much of its food and drink comes from producers within a few miles of the village.
Store manager Guinevere Wearne said: "The volunteers know their customers well and welcome them with a friendly smile and chat.
"We will order in whatever products people want and during the hard winters of 2009 and 2010 provisions were delivered to those unable to get into the shop.
"The shop window, as well as promoting the shop, is available for other community organisations, for example the local primary school, to create their own displays."
The award is given to independent local shops which stand out for their strong community ties. It was handed over by Newton Abbot MP Anne Marie Morris who said: "What's special about this shop is the energy and enthusiasm of everyone involved.
"The community spirit here is so strong, and they have fought to keep the Post Office and store in the village.
"Adding the café and the library has made this the centre of the community, and I have seen how both elderly customers and children are looked after when they come in. It really is a place that brings the generations together."
David Visick, of the Federation of Wholesale Distributors, said: "There is a great sense of community in Broadhempston and this is more than just a shop.
"People here have put a lot of time and money into keeping the shop open, but they've gone beyond that and with their energy and ability to adapt to local requirements, they've built something which is a great example of what a community working together can achieve."
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