Feckenham boasts Britain's best village shop (From Redditch Advertiser)

Feckenham boasts Britain's best village shop

1:13pm Monday 8th February 2010

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JUST a year after opening, The Village Shop in Feckenham has beaten off competition from thousands of other entries to be named Britain’s best village shop by the Countryside Alliance.

The community-owned facility has a strong base of 90 village residents who run the shop and every single one of them is a volunteer.

The shop won the Countryside Alliance regional award and was put forward along with 12 finalists for the British National Countryside Alliance award from 3,000 initial entries.

A team of six, representing a cross section of the people who have made the shop a success, went to the House of Lords for the final announcement of the British champion shop for 2009 and were stunned when they won.

Representing the shop was chairman John Calvert, vice chairman Walter Richards, Sue Darby, who represented team leaders, Pam Eaton, representing the cashiers, Alan Lipscombe, on behalf of the shop assistants and Cath Roberts, who represented buyers.

The rest of the village waited on tender hooks until finally the phone call came with the news they had all been waiting for.

Countryside Alliance chief executive Simon Hart read out a citation, explaining why Feckenham Community Shop cut the mustard at the awards, sometimes referred to as the ‘Rural Oscars’.

"By definition, this award goes to an entire village, because it is a community enterprise that is run by an impressive team of volunteers.

“After 20 years without a shop, a group of volunteers with no previous retail experience bought, upgraded and opened a new one. “Villagers raised over £40,000 in just seven months and more than 300 parishioners signed up as shareholders.

“The result has been a resounding success, not just because a shop has returned to the village after so long, but also because of the feelgood factor the project has brought to the community. This has rippled outwards and local schools and businesses are also benefiting from this shop’s support.

“Inspired by their achievement the community is now planning phase two, which will see a tearoom added to the shop, and you can guarantee it will be the most successful tearoom in the West Midlands.

“Congratulations to the team at Feckenham in Worcestershire, you officially run Britain’s best village shop."

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