Community toast 10 years of Barford village store

A village shop has celebrated a decade of success after the community rallied to launch the much-needed facility back in 2008.
A successful decade for the Barford village storeA successful decade for the Barford village store
A successful decade for the Barford village store

The store in Barford was set up through fundraising, grant income and a share issue to more than 500 local residents and now features a post office and cafe with wi-fi, offering a social space for people to meet and also collect information.

Corenna Jennings, the full-time manager of the outlet, said: “The shop has been a great success. It opens every day of the week, has never had to close and is manned by volunteers. Most volunteers do a three hour shift once a week, some do more. Many of our volunteers have been with us since the beginning and we need to celebrate their dedication.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Over the years more than 100 people have been volunteers. Currently there are around 80 with some of the younger volunteers having helped as part of their Duke of Edinburgh Award. New faces are always welcomed. Over the 10 years the shop has won various awards and was visited by the Duke of Kent when he opened the enhanced King George’s field.

The shop has also been a financial triumph with all the loans having been repaid and a surplus of more than £100,000 passed to the Barford Community Charity.

On November 1 there will be a celebration cake and the opportunity to win a hamper in a prize draw. So a bumper day is expected. As Amanda Griffin, the chairman of the shop’s managing company, said: “When people come together, great things can be achieved."