Shop at the heart of its community near the Shropshire border marks 20th anniversary
A shop in the heart of the community near the Shropshire border has just celebrated its 20th anniversary.
More than 100 Yarpole villagers gathered in St Leonard’s Church on Friday, April 25, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the opening of Yarpole Community Shop. The celebration was an invitation to everyone who volunteers in the Parish, both past and present.
The celebration was opened by an address by Jon Pitts, the current chairman of the Yarpole Community Shop management board. One of the longest serving volunteers in the Parish having served for the past 15 years on the Shop Management Board, ever since the shop moved into the church.
‘He celebrated the spirit of volunteering within the Parish. Commenting that for many villages it was rare to have a community shop and it was even rarer for a village to have a community owned shop and a community owned and managed pub, The Bell at Yarpole.
As always there was a magnificent offering of food. All baked by local residents and the Gallery Café.
Yarpole Shop was formerly incorporated under the Financial Services Authority on the March 24, 2005, after the closure of the last remaining private shop in the village.
The shop opened in a portacabin in the grounds of the Bell at Yarpole the following month. 328 people had spent £10 on a non redeemable share to allow the Shop to operate.
It then moved into a re-ordered St Leonard’s Church on October 1, 2009, four years after its formation. It was the first full-time shop in a church and initially open seven days a week.
In 2010, the shop was voted the Best Village Shop & Post Office in the UK by the Countryside Alliance. A group from the shop travelled to the House of Lords to receive the award.
The following year saw the shop awarded the prestigious Queens Award for Voluntary Service. It was the first community shop in the country to receive the award.
In 2014, the shop was selected as Runner Up in the Rural Community Ownership Awards by the Plunkett Foundation in the Better Business category. There are now over 300 Community Shops operating in the UK.
The shop was once again voted Best Village Shop & Post Office in the Midlands by the Countryside Alliance in 2021.
Since 2013, the shop has been able to donate money to local projects from profits made during the year. Over £2,000 was donated to local projects in 2018. 2021 saw the figure rise after the shop proved to be a vital service during Covid with community deliveries to vulnerable Parishioners and as a safe place to shop. Notably the shop stood by local producers (as it still does) and they stood by the business.
In all, the shop has donated nearly £20,000 to local projects ranging from donations to the Church, the Parish Hall, The Youth Group, the Birchpole Singers and the Dog Agility Group.
Many of the new gates in the Parish, replacing old stiles, have been funded by the Shop as well as the strimmer used by the Footpaths team.
