King's award for volunteer-run community shop

Cynthia Hartiss, Bridget Saunders and Pauline Johnson celebrate their award

A community-run shop is among the latest voluntary organisations to be honoured with the King's Award for Voluntary Service.

Aston on Clun Community Shop is set in the south Shropshire hills and serves an area of around 70 square miles. It opened in 2013 and is open every day except Christmas Day.

Volunteers said the shop had become a hub for the surrounding communities.

Seven other organisations in Shropshire, including community halls, arts and culture groups and a talking newspaper, also received awards.

Volunteer Bridget Saunders

The Kings Award for Voluntary Service is the highest accolade for volunteer groups and is the equivalent of an MBE.

It celebrates and promotes the work of those who help others in their community, honouring work across a range of areas including heritage, culture, wellbeing and social support.

Bridget Saunders, a volunteer at the Aston on Clun shop for eight years, said: "There is always a smile, there is a lot of laughter here but the customers are really central, they come back and use this place as like a social hub".

Bridget called the award "fantastic" and added: "It is the committee that has really made it happen - they have worked so hard.

"But we all love it and are so proud of this shop, even people outside of the village are aware of it. It's very important to us."

Pauline Johnson, who chairs the management committee, said: "I moved here six years ago and I thought 'oh great there's a shop around the corner' but I didn't understand the value of the shop until I got more involved. I started off cleaning it during Covid and then I got asked to go on the committee.

"The value of the community shop is so much more than selling things. It is a hub, it is a place where you catch up with people, you meet others, you find out local news."

The winners were praised by Shropshire's Lord Lieutenant, Anna Turner

The other organisations in Shropshire to be honoured are:

• Chetton and District Parish Hall

• Friends of Pontesbury Library

• The Melville Club, Albrighton

• Shropshire European Organisation CIC

• The Arts Society Wrekin

• Wem Town Hall Community Trust

• West Shropshire Talking Newspapers

The King's representative in the county, Lord Lieutenant Anna Turner, said: "Thank you for all you do. Volunteers truly are the back-bone of our communities in Shropshire.

"Many congratulations to you all for being recognised with this top-level award."