Ten years in the making, now village bids to put a shop back at heart of community

RESIDENTS in Denbury are backing plans to create a new community shop – but the group behind the project still needs to raise tens of thousands of pounds before work can begin.

The proposed Denbury Community Shop would be created within unused space at Denbury Village Hall, forming part of wider plans to improve the building and create a new community hub.

The village has been without a shop since its previous premises in North Street closed in 2016.

Now a group of residents is working to bring one back, with a survey attracting more than 100 responses and 100 per cent of those who responded supporting the idea of a community shop.

Luke Booth, chairman of the management committee behind the project, said the need for a local shop had become particularly apparent during recent roadworks, which have made travelling into town more difficult.

‘To go and do a top-up shop, you’re looking at like an hour every day’, he said.

The idea initially came from residents who wanted to explore whether a shop could once again be viable in the village.

A steering group was formed, a business plan was produced and the group sought advice from the Plunkett Foundation, which supports community-owned businesses.

The proposed shop is being established as a Community Benefit Society, allowing local people to buy shares in the venture.

But the model also means the project is intended to benefit the wider community rather than generate profits for individual shareholders.

Mr Booth said any profits made by the shop would be reinvested locally.

‘Whether that’s updating the shop with some more stuff or whether that’s putting some money into the village hall, the idea is any profits that come out of it, we want to push it back into the community’, he said.

The plans go beyond simply providing somewhere to buy milk, bread and other essentials.

The group hopes the shop could eventually include a coffee machine, hot food and outdoor seating, while the refurbished village hall could host events and activities.

Mr Booth said the ambition was to ‘gently form it into a hub’ for the village.

The project could also provide an important source of income for the village hall, which the committee says needs investment.

The proposal is to make use of an area of the hall which is no longer required, creating space for the shop while also generating revenue for the building.

“We can create a shop, which will actually give the village hall revenue, while also supporting the village shop’, Mr Booth said.

However, there is still a long way to go before residents can walk through the doors of the proposed shop.

The group has so far raised just under £20,000 through shares and donations, while it has also secured a £20,000 grant from Teignbridge District Council.

The overall fundraising target is around £80,000, and the committee is now looking at further grant opportunities, including potential funding from the National Lottery.

The committee, made up of nine members, is now appealing for further support as it attempts to raise the remaining funds needed to turn its plans for a new shop and community hub into reality.

For those interested in supporting the community shop become a reality, visit denburyshop.co.uk, where you can find more information about how to invest in the project.

Alternatively, visit the GoFundMe website and enter ‘Help Create A Community Shop For Denbury’ into the search-box.