ALL ABOUT US

A Community Run Shop Serving and Supporting Our Local Rural Villages

We are a friendly and welcoming “real” village shop run by the community for the community offering a wide range of goods and services to our customers, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year. A team of enthusiastic volunteers endeavour to meet all your every day shopping needs with hundreds of food and household products, plus local crafts and gifts, an Outreach Post Office, dry cleaning collection service, newspapers and hot and cold drinks, freshly baked cakes and pastries. 

We are a Community Interest Company (CIC) that was set up in September 2016 by residents from Thurlton, Norton Subcourse and neighbouring villages to takeover a failing convenience store and so provide the community with a local shop and social hub. 

We initially rented the shop, but, as tenants, we did not have control over the future use of the premises or its upkeep, so in March 2018, we registered it as an Asset of Community Value with South Norfolk District Council and, with loans, sale of shares and donations, we were able to purchase the premises. The shop is run entirely by volunteers (over 30) who make up the Board of Directors and staff the shop. As a non-profit organisation, no shareholders take any dividend income, and all profits are invested back into the business for the benefit of the community. 

The premises had been neglected for many years and fallen into disrepair. Through the mechanisms described above we have raised sufficient funds to embark on a major refurbishment of the shop in February 2021 and now have a shop that is environmentally and economically sustainable.

The ethos of the shop is summed up well by regular customer, Janet Street-Porter in an article in the Independent in which she said “Yes, it's exactly like The Archers - owned by the villagers! Now I know I can be at home in Norfolk. I have a hub that's not part of a chain, a quirky community store with a table for reading and a coffee, a post office, and well stocked shelves - from fuel to baby food, cleaning products to tins and dried goods. Rural shops are the absolute key to nurturing a community, a place to talk, to offer help and to feel part of your neighbourhood.” 

Press Releases

•    Beccles and Bungay Journal (30/12/2016): https://www.becclesandbungayjournal.co.uk/news/community-shop-continues-to-thrive-as-volunteers-bid-to-buy-the-building-1-4832230

•    Beast from the East (01/03/2018)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USKd4W7xLWQ

•    Eastern Daily Press (09/08/2019):

https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/janet-street-porter-norfolk-loose-women-1-6207112.

•    COVID lockdown (25/06/2020)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-norfolk-53171161/coronavirus-community-shop-heroes-keep-villagers-going