Village shop celebrates 20th anniversary

Shop manager, Rowena Bennett Jones, said they tried to source local where they could

A community shop run by a team of volunteers at a church in Herefordshire is marking its 20th anniversary.

Yarpole Community Shop, based inside St Leonard's Church, which also has a post office and adjoining cafe, was set up by people in the village after the local store closed in 2005.

Shop manager, Rowena Bennett Jones, said it was an "intriguing job" and the shop had more than 35 volunteers, which were the "driving force" of the enterprise.

She said the shop had brought a sense of "social cohesion" to the village.

St Leonard's Church, in Yarpole, also has a cafe and post office

"It's been rather wonderful," she said. "For it to have sustained and kept going for so long I think is testament to the village and to the enthusiasm and the support that this shop has."

The shop, which is about five miles from Leominster, stocks basic amenities, but also sells items such as miso and tahini and locally sourced honey and bread.

Yarpole Community Shop opened after the last local shop closed in the village in 2005

Ms Bennett-Jones said the team had tried to source local produce as much as possible to support farmers in the area, as well as local businesses and enterprises.

As the shop was centred at the church, it drew "everyone together" and helped to form connections, she said.

"The sense of unity, the sense of the care, the sense that you're never truly alone," she added.

"Whether you're 60 or 16, there's very much the sense that this is a community, that we're all together and we know of each other, even if we don't know each other."

Rose Jenkins has been volunteering at the cafe ever since it opened

Rose Jenkins has been volunteering at the shop since it first opened.

She described the store as "vibrant", "well-stocked" and "varied".

"It survives by its own interactions," she added. "It's Herefordshire in a small room."

One shopper, Louise Dangerfield, said it was also good for people who do not drive.

"It's really friendly as well, so it's good for lonely people. People who live on their own," she said.

"I think it would be very sad if it wasn't here, I think it's quite a hub."