Wonderful Stogumber residents and supporters have given just over £190,000 which will enable Stogumber Community Shop and Post Office to buy No. 4 High Street as its future home.
The owners of 4 High Street were very encouraging and gave the village the Summer to raise the money. Somerset Council have been really supportive, with Conservation Officer Kerry Kerr-Peterson guiding the application for Listed Building Consent now granted for the internal alterations and storeroom extension, and Sarah Wilsher smoothing the journey for Planning Permission for the change of use.
Stogumber Community Shop has been profitably-run by around 50 volunteers since April 2023, and the next step in the project is making applications for grants to pay for the money for the building alterations and extension. We hope to start the building work in early 2025.
We promised to give you an update after the meeting to celebrate our first year.
The community shop is overseen by a Steering Committee. In their turn those people, depending on the role they hold, may need to co-opt people to support them and with sub teams. Those on the steering committe with specific roles are
Other volunteers offered or were co-opted to undertake specific roles. Most of these are ‘back of house’ and unseen but vital to the continued success of the shop.
Several new faces will be seen amongst the ‘front of house’ volunteers in the shop as well as some new ones on the ‘back of house’ roles. Some are new residents whilst others have lived in the village for a number of years. We welcome them all and hope they will enjoy their role. It may be challenging at times but we trust it will be enjoyable and that they will meet new friends along the way.
Volunteering for the shop has brought together a number of people who had not met previously or had met but hardly knew eath other. Many have made good social contacts and friendships. Other local businesses have benefited and we see groups of volunteers meeting in the White Horse Inn 2 doors away and at the Rocking Horse cafe near Stogumber Station too.
Not everyone is aware that 50% of the committe members and those co-opted to support them in their various roles, work full time or very nearly full time. A good many of the shop front shift volunteers are similary employed elsewhere. However they are all prepared to offer their time and skills for this community venture outside or alongside their work committments.
We should all maybe step back and think about this for a moment – for 364 days of the year, Roger and Anne Howe used to handle all of the above tasks and roles mainly on their own. They did have the support and help of Sharon in the Post Office and occasional assistance one day a week in the shop from residents such as Sandy H, Marilyn B and Chris Garwood. then later from Jerry P and Paula N. Once again we should applaud Roger and Anne’s organisational abilities and smooth running of the shop for this village until their retirement in 2023.
Royal National Lifeboat Institution
Collection
I know that many of you are using less cash these days however if you can buy your shop purchases with cash or on account it really does help us – and of coure by helping us it helps you. Every card payment takes a little bit of our profit – the more profit the more products and the cheaper they will be to sell to you. 🙂
Not only that, but if you pay in cash and are prepared to pop small change in the RNLI pot that would help them too. Living here by the coast means it is all the more important for us all. Lifeboat volunteers save so many lives every year.