East Budleigh's community-run shop makes a profit

Villagers said the shop kept people supplied during December's bad weather

A community shop run by volunteers in a Devon village has reported making a profit just two years after opening.

The shop in East Budleigh, near Budleigh Salterton, operates from the village hall car park.

The shop's managers said a grant from the South West Regional Development Agency had enabled them to stock more products, leading to increased sales.

Residents said the shop provided a "lifeline" during December's snow and ice.

The shop, which is housed in a portable building, cost £30,000 to open in 2008.

John Tresidder, chairman of the shop management committee, said: "The future is very exciting because we have built a business with a sound financial footing at a time when many people are losing local shops which cannot compete with the supermarkets."

Local resident Maureen Smith, who volunteers in the shop, said: "We can see what a vital lifeline our community shop provided during the awful weather, especially to our most vulnerable and elderly residents.

"Whilst we were all but stranded in East Budleigh and Yettington, the shop kept us supplied with all of our essentials.

"I really do not know how people would have coped without it."

Last year the government announced regional development agencies were to be scrapped and replaced with Local Enterprise Partnerships.