by Rachael Rowe
MEET YOUR LOCAL
When Halstock village shop first opened in 1991, the idea of community-run shops relying on volunteers was at that time visionary.
Meet your local: Halstock Village Shop This month we feature Halstock Village Shop. As you step towards the shop door, there’s an overwhelming sense of community spirit. I’m not sure why that is - and then I met the team, says Rachael Rowe Tony Woodroffe is the Director of the community shop, Bardy Griffiths is the Chair of the Community Shop Committee, and Barry Dennis is the shop manager. Halstock is also one of the best-stocked village shops I have seen (like a Tardis). There’s a constant trail of people stocking up on local goods. I talk to Tony and Bardy in the large community room at the back of the shop.
What’s the story of the shop?
We’ve been going since 1991 and we were one of the very first community shops. When the previous owners retired in 1990, a group of people in the village got together to see what they could do to keep a shop. Funds were raised, and the (recently deceased) Betty Harris drove to Yeovil with £200 to buy stocks to get things going. We got funding and support from the Plunkett Foundation. Two of our funders, Derek Smith and Richard Fry, were instrumental in getting the shop up and running and they advised other community shops around the country. 80
As the business grew, we raised funds to purchase land, enabling us to get the current building and community room in 2013. Two flats above the shop bring
in rent. We would have struggled without that community room in the pandemic because of all the deliveries. The shop is run under the Halstock Village Trust, and Tony Woodroffe (left) is the Director of the community shop, Bardy Griffiths is the Chair of the Community Shop Committee
