Delight as community shop is honoured with royal accolade
THE Dryslwyn Community Shop and Post Office in Carmarthenshire has been awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.
The award is described as the MBE of Voluntary Service and is the highest award achievable by a voluntary group.
In 2008 when 2,500 post office branches closed across the UK, Dryslwyn was scheduled to be one of them.
Instead through remarkable grassroots efforts the community shop was launched in 2009 and is a lifeline to many in the community and entirely run by volunteers.
Sitting off the A40 between Carmarthen and Llandeilo, it serves the communities of Dryswlyn and Cwrt Henri.
An enterprising attitude has ensured the shop has kept going throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We couldn’t be more honoured and delighted,” said Helen Evans, previously a local vet who serves at the counter and is one of the shop directors.
“So many of us in the community volunteer for the shop that it is a real community hub. People come for more than their shopping, it’s somewhere to be sure of a friendly face, a good chat in Welsh or English, and neighbourly support when you need it most.”
A small Covid-safe celebration ceremony was held outside the shop and Tom Lloyd, the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Dyfed, attended.
Nigel Jones, a post office volunteer and chair of a project team set up to design and finance the building of a new shop said: “This award recognises the vital role this shop plays in our community and emphasises the importance of continuing to build on this success in the future.”