For over 20 years Wellow Village Shop in rural Somerset has been serving its local community, selling a wide variety of produce including sustainable fish and meat, supporting local suppliers and serving as a fantastic hub for social cohesion and integration. We advertise fundraising events, sell local theatre tickets and raffle tickets, give out tokens for the tennis court.  We also provide a collection basket for food donations for the local food bank.  

More recently the shop has taken on an extra importance, because our once-weekly bus service has just been cut completely.  We are 4 miles from the nearest town so this means it has become very difficult for many of the elderly and financially disadvantaged people to leave the village for food shopping, or social interaction.  So now, in particular, the village shop provides a vital service from a social as well as a practical perspective.  A recent survey showed that the shop was a highly valued asset, the most poignant comment perhaps being that for some elderly villagers, it might be the only time that they see or talk to anyone during the day, or indeed, the week.  Winter months are especially hard.

Set up as a co-operative venture, the shop is managed by a voluntary committee, supervised by two part time staff and run with the help of a large pool of volunteers.  We struggle to cover our costs and rely on fundraising and donations to keep running.