New Year Honours: Gloucestershire shop owner awarded medal

Jonathon Cobb, who owns Miserden Stores, kept supplying his customers despite having to move out of the family home for six months

The owner of a village shop has been recognised in the New Year's Honours list for his dedication to customers during the pandemic.

Jonathan Cobb, who runs Miserden Stores, near Stroud, has been awarded a British Empire Medal for continuing to supply his local community despite also having to move out of his family home.

He moved because his wife Laura, has an autoimmune disease and was shielding.

Mr Cobb said the medal has come as a complete surprise.

"I thought it might have been a bit of a joke, then as you read through [the letter informing you], you realise it's serious and by the end, I thought, 'I'm going to have to buy a suit'," he said.

Miserden Stores, which also has a post office and dry cleaning service, is the only shop within a five mile radius

Mrs Cobb, who has Lupus - an incurable immune system condition, said she "cried with pride" when the official letter arrived in the post.

Miserden Stores is the only shop within a five mile radius of the village. During the first lockdown in March 2020 Mr Cobb was inundated with orders.

"We swapped the shop around, started selling different things, managed to get in things like flour - that no body could get at the time - and toilet roll, so it meant that no body needed to leave the village," he said.

But the hardest part was having to live separately from his wife to protect her health.

For six months, he could only see her, and his daughter, outside.

Laura Cobb has the autoimmune disease, Lupus, so had to shield during the first lockdown

Mrs Cobb thanked everyone who rallied around to help as she was unable to work in the shop, which also provides a post office and dry cleaning service.

She said: "A number of times I wanted to come out of shielding because I was really worried about Jon.

"It was just too much for one person and I don't know if he could have managed without the community stepping in the way they did."

Mr Cobb's customers all agree he deserves to be recognised.

Claire Coles-Jones, who has been a regular for years, said: "It was really busy, he had to do absolutely everything himself.

"He worked so hard, it must have been incredibly difficult for him."

Meanwhile, Mr Cobb said he will be heading to the shops for a new suit in time for a royal garden party later this year.