Chairman’s report 2011

This report was circulated at the AGM on Saturday 12 November 2011 and approved by the meeting:

I am delighted to give this report on second year of the community shop project. Your committee has made a lot of progress in 2011, there is much more to do, but our goal is to hold the new community shop opening in mid-2012.

The committee’s role is develop a viable community shop project and raise funds towards opening the shop. The shop proposal is now well developed. We continue to have positive discussions with the Methodist church about housing the shop in the chapel vestry. To do this will require some building work, including disabled access to the rear, renewed electrics and plumbing. We will also need to fit out the shop with shelving and other fixtures. We hope to finalise these plans shortly so that we can draw up final costings to fit into the shop business plan.

On the funding side, we have held a number of fundraising events during the year including pub quizzes and a barn dance. In addition, Dawn and Lesley from the committee have put on monthly mini-markets with funds going towards the shop. The mini-market has proved a great success and shows that there is a need for a local shop selling food and other essentials.

Much of funding will need to come from outside sources. We have worked hard to find grant funding. These are difficult economic times, but we have had success so far. The Bideford Bridge Trust has come forward with a £500 contribution. We have advanced to the second stage of the Village SOS competition, which funds new ventures that revitalise small communities like ours. That’s a huge boost.

I would also like to mention our gratitude to those political representatives that have given us invaluable support. Letters from our MP, Geoffrey Cox, and our Devon CC councillor, Alison Boyle, are on the display boards. We’ve also had continued financial and moral support from Buckland Brewer parish council.

Apart from electing a new committee for 2012, we have one other piece of important business today. Your committee proposes to establish a co-operative society to manage the shop once it’s up and running. A co-operative means that anyone in the community can buy a share and take a role in running the shop. There’s more information about co-operatives on the display boards. Please ask questions if you are unsure about the proposal.

There are currently 9 committee members. We can have as many as 12 on the committee. So if you can spare a couple of hours a month, we’d love to have you on board. If that’s not for you, we still need business, retail or legal expertise on an ad hoc basis. Whatever help you can offer will help make this project a success. Don’t forget, we will also need volunteers to run the shop when it’s up and running.

Finally, I’d like to thank everyone who has helped the project in the last year and particularly all the committee members, Rev Graham Slingo and the Methodist church committee. And, of course, thanks to everyone in the community who has given support, asked questions or generally taken an interest in the shop.

The shop needs the the village, as much as the village needs the shop.

Pete McClymont
Chairman, Buckland Brewer community shop project