Hambledon Village Shop, a community enterprise, run and owned by village residents, is now able to support more local farmers thanks to the Surrey Hills LEADER Grant Scheme.
The LEADER scheme was approached for help by Trustee and Post Mistress Jane Woolley, who requested a grant of £10,000 to provide new chillers and freezer equipment. The request was successful and was added towards funds already raised by the shop. Now the shop is able to supply customers with fruit, vegetables and meat sourced from local farmers and growers.
The shop, which is has been owned and run by the community for 18 years, is staffed by more than 50 volunteers who each give up two hours each fortnight to work at the shop. A trust was set up in 2003 to buy the shop’s freehold and secure its future. Because all the villagers have a stake in the shop, it has become a real focal point and social centre to the village, providing not just a Post Office and shop but a heart to village life.