It was standing room only at a town meeting in Winchelsea to discuss proposals for the community to take over the Little Shop. The meeting at the New Hall on Sunday, March 23 saw over 150 residents come together to discuss the store’s future.
The plan is to transfer the shop, which is currently privately owned, to one that is owned and managed by the community of Winchelsea. To facilitate this, a small steering group of five residents has been formed, and they have been working over the last few months with the current owner, Stephen Rumsey, to see how this might be achieved.
The purpose of this meeting was to provide an update on what has been achieved so far, and the steps that will be required over the next few months. Stephen Rumsey explained that his personal objective was to secure the future of the shop for the town – he felt the best way of achieving this was through community ownership. He has generously offered to provide as much support as he can to ensure the success of the venture.
One thing locals may have already noticed is volunteers being trained by Nathan in the shop. These volunteers will fill the gaps created by Danny’s retirement, and from early April will be operating the shop on a Sunday. In the future they will also cover Nathan’s holidays or on occasions when he is unable to work. So far sixteen residents have stepped forward to help, but more volunteers to offer a commitment of only one shift per month are needed. Volunteers will work in pairs during their three-hour shifts and as well as training the team are in the process of providing step-by-step guides on tasks like using the till and the coffee machine.
The steering group has also been talking to Plunkett UK, a national charity that in the last 25 years has supported over 700 UK community-owned businesses in rural areas with free, expert advice, training and funding. They will help set up the legal structure which will be a community benefit society (CBS). This is regulated by and registered with the Financial Conduct Authority. It is an organisation which gives a broad membership equal stake and equal say in management and operates for the benefit of the community.
The steering group has also visited a community shop in Benenden to see how they operate and learn about their experience of working with Plunkett UK. The steering group has also been working with the Little Shop Association, which is holding funds left from when the shop was previously a community business, some years ago. They have been very supportive and it is hoped that these funds may be transferred to the new CBS. The association has an AGM in April where the committee will recommend to its members that the monies be transferred to the new entity.
Moving forward, the steering group has begun work on preparing a business plan and exploring what grants may be available. Currently the Little Shop makes a small loss each year, one of the purposes of the business plan will be to see how the business might break even in the future. The use of volunteers will certainly reduce staff costs and it may be possible to increase sales and margins, but inevitably we may need some fundraising. The good news is that according to Plunkett UK, the survival rate of community shops is 92%.
The purchase of the freehold of the building will also require funding, how much is still being discussed but some donors have already come forward and there is likely to be the opportunity to purchase shares within the CBS. There is clearly a big job of fundraising to be done and lots of other work to do and these things do take time. The steering group stressed that they don’t have all the answers yet, but they will keep everyone informed regarding their progress and how local people can help.
At the meeting those attending completed a short questionnaire to initially determine the level of support for the shop in the community. If people weren’t at the meeting, and would still like to complete a questionnaire, copies are available in the shop. Early results from this survey handed out at the meeting show 92% (105/114 respondents) are very or completely in support of a community shop.
Ali Casey, past membership secretary of the residents’ association, told Rye News about how the dynamic steering group behind this project was formed. “We chose people with a great can do attitude. People we could trust to be determined to work out how best to make it happen.”
The working group has set up an email address shopgroup@winchelsea.com if you would like more information or to help. You can also talk to any members of the working group: Rosemarie Roberts, Glen Marks, Dave Richards, Ian Rowlands and Ali Casey.
The skillsets of the working group, alongside those of volunteers, and good communications between everyone involved, is an inspiring example of community action.
The Little Shop is clearly much loved and valued by the community, but its future can only be assured with the support of residents through volunteering, fund raising and of course as customers. So please do spread the word to friends and visitors to support this shop, and on a Sunday be patient and encouraging to volunteers, they may not be quite as fast as Nathan!
Image Credits: Ali Casey .
What a joy to read! Congratulations from The Rye Chamber of Commerce to the residents of Winchelsea for their inspiring initiative. This show of outstanding leadership and a strong sense of purpose is the true spirit of community collaboration. Fabulous!