| County | Gloucestershire, South West |
|---|---|
| Postcode | GL6 6BE |
| Opened | 1998 |
| Post Office | No |
| Management | Volunteer |
| Legal | Other |
| Premises | Portacabin |
View a map of where to find us
9am - 5pm Monday to Friday
9am - 1pm Saturday
9am - 11am Sunday
The Whiteshill and Ruscombe Community Shop is housed in a refurbished Portakabin perched on the edge of the Cotswolds near Stroud, with some of the best views in Gloucestershire.
It opens seven days a week (half day on Sunday) and is entirely staffed by volunteers, mainly retired people or mothers with children at school. In addition to stocking groceries, the shop offers newspapers, video rentals, local crafts and a family friendly coffee shop. Health and safety requirements demanded a loo, so a second-hand disabled-access portaloo also has pride of place on the site.
Like many rural communities, Whiteshill near Stroud suffered the loss of its last two small shops, a primary school threatened with closure and a post office barely holding its own.
Marie Lee, one of the founders of the shop, explained the background: "We were aware that a shop serving the community was not a viable proposition, but we were convinced that people needed a local outlet, especially those without cars, the elderly and young mums.
"In the early summer of 1997, at the Street Fair, we carried out a survey to find out what support there would be for a community shop and we were overwhelmed by the response."
Stroud District Council put them in touch with the Village Retail Services Association (ViRSA), the national organisation dedicated to preserving and setting up village shops and post offices. With the help of a VIRSA field worker a small action group developed a plan.
Fund-raising started in earnest with the action group literally going around the community, door to door. More than £6,000 in loans was raised in the community, Stroud District Council gave £5,000 and Whiteshill and Ruscombe Parish Council donated another £1,000.
A formal management committee was then set up with a constitution, a chair, treasurer and secretary and the inaugural meeting included representatives from a wide range of community interests including the local LETS and Credit Union schemes.
It was decided that the ideal site would be next to the playing fields and car park, but planning permission would be required. Then the hunt was on for a cabin to place on the steeply sloping site.
Marie said: "Eventually someone said they knew of one at a Gloucester school. The school didn''t want anything for it, but we had to pay to get it transported to the site and then lowered by crane. Again, local contacts made that happen at half the normal cost."
A small group consisting of a local builder and a couple of local retired people then transformed the outside of the battered old terrapin to suit its new life. As for the inside, heaters were donated, as was crockery and cutlery for the cafe. The Co-op and Sainsbury''s were contacted for permission to stock their brands, and the shop became a reality.
"Just over two years after opening, we were able to pay back all the loans!" says Marie. "Our main challenge now is maintaining the number of volunteers to run the shop - we''re down to a stalwart band of 15 people who keep it going.
"We’re always looking for more people - we only ask for two hours of their time per week, but it is best if they can commit to that on a weekly basis."
Article from http://www.bbc.co.uk/gloucestershire/communitytoolkit/services_shop.shtml
Once a staple ingredient of rural life, the village shop is fast becoming an endangered species as supermarket giants multiply across the country. But Whiteshill and Ruscombe residents were determined to save it from extinction, starting their own co-operative in a refurbished Portakabin. ALLI PYRAH checks out the convenience store that has pulled a community together.
Perched on the edge of a village playing field is a refurbished Portakabin with parking, a playground, coffee bar and some of the best views in Gloucestershire.
It sounds like an unlikely venue for a local shop but that''s exactly what it is. And this is no ordinary village shop, either.
It was paid for, installed and renovated by its customers, who longed for a community focal point and baked beans on their doorstep.
The latter took several years to facilitate but a feeling of solidarity was starting to build long before the first brick was in place.
And eight years after the idea was conceived, Whiteshill and Ruscombe Village Shop stands testament to the vision, determination and teamwork of the residents.
Like most great ideas, the shop began as murmurs in the pub and chatter over the garden fence.
Geoff Warren, now secretary of the Whiteshill and Ruscombe Village Shop Association, remembers when the suggestion began to gather pace back in 1997.
"There was a growing concern at the time about the idea of community," he said.
"I think that was as much of a driving force as the actual convenient nature of the store.
"This is the kind of place where people tend to come and stay a lifetime. So we have a large proportion of elderly people here.
"During the 1990s the provision of public transport decreased. So that was a factor, but I think it was more this feeling of togetherness. This group of people thought, ''let''s get together and make a go of it''."
Enthusiastic residents carried out a survey, which indicated overwhelming support for a local shop. Soon, a formal management committee was set up with a constitution, a chair, treasurer and secretary.
Fund-raising started and villagers lent more than £6,000 of their own money to the cause. Whiteshill and Ruscombe Parish Council donated another £1,000.
But funds still fell a long way short of the total needed to turn the shop into a reality and the community''s generosity had been stretched to its limit.
Just when the committee was about to give up, Stroud District Council intervened at the 11th hour, stumping up the £5,000 needed to move things forward.
A site near the playing field and car park was identified as the best location.
After planning permission was granted, a Gloucester school donated an unwanted cabin which was transported to the site at half the normal cost through local contacts.
A local builder and a some of the village''s retired residents then transformed the battered hut, cementing it into place with bricks and smartening up the exterior with a new paint job.
Heaters were donated for the inside along with crockery and cutlery for the cafe. Health and safety laws required a toilet, so a second-hand disabled-access Portaloo was also installed on the site.
The Co-op and Sainsbury''s were contacted for permission to stock their brands and the shop became a reality. Within two years all loans were repaid.
The shop now opens seven days a week and is entirely staffed by volunteers, mainly retired people or mothers with children at school.
It stocks groceries, newspapers, DVD rentals, local products as well as housing a lending library and a cafe.
A basket survey last summer identified the shop as being 19% cheaper than other local shops, with prices only marginally more expensive than the big supermarket chains.
The shop the community built has silenced its critics, standing as an physical reminder of its customers'' optimism.
More volunteers are always needed to help run the shop. Full training is given and there are a variety of roles, from a couple of hours a month in stock control to coming up with ways to expand the services.
Article from http://www2.newsquest.co.uk/stroud/features/FEATURES22.html
10 May 2006
Tel and Fax: 01453 766277
Neville Nelder
Secretary, Whiteshill and Ruscombe Community Shop
01453 750825
Like many rural communities, Whiteshill near Stroud suffered the loss of its last two small shops, a primary school threatened with closure and a post office barely holding its own.