Kirkoswald villagers raise £120k of £200k target to save shop

Ruth Anderson said the shop is a lifeline for the community particularly in times of crisis like Covid

Villagers in north Cumbria have raised £120,000 in a bid to buy their local shop.

Residents of Kirkoswald are trying to save their last remaining convenience shop from closing after its owner died.

They need £200k to buy the Bridge Street building and are offering shares at £25 each to run it as a community.

However, time is running out and they have until 30 June to raise the remaining £80,000 to secure the premises and the flat above it.

'Vibrant hub'

Ruth Anderson chair of the Kirkoswald Community Shop committee, said: "We want to buy and run the shop for the benefit of the residents of Kirkoswald Parish and the surrounding community.

"The shop has been at the heart of our community for over 100 years and is essential for locals and enjoyed by visitors.

"We can't stand by and watch this vibrant hub disappear. It's a lifeline for the community particularly in times of crisis like Covid.

"Also we've been cut off in floods and in those times the shop has come into its own."

Local resident Bill Nicholson said: "There's nowhere else unless you travel to Penrith or Carlisle. A lot of people my age can't drive, I never have done.

"We have to rely on public transport. But basically there's a bus maybe once a week."

Bill Nicholson said there is nowhere else to go to shop