The whole community chips in to keep Chalford’s village shop alive
Cotswold artist Rachel Mcdonnell helps run her local cooperative shop, ensuring the heart of the village keeps beating
It’s the unique beauty of Chalford that made it so difficult for our village shop to survive – the main high street is a quiet, narrow lane and with little passing trade, it closed in 2003. Chalford is home to about 6,500, and having no shop would have been a blow, robbing the community – especially the vulnerable – of an essential hub. It also meant the village would be clogged up with fumes as everyone took to cars just to nip out for a bottle of milk. Residents got together to keep the shop going, first on the lane, then in the village church. However, this was never meant as a permanent home, and a few years down the line, in 2013, the shop was once again in peril. That’s when I decided to join the organising committee. I was pregnant with my youngest and had a two year old in tow, but I felt I had to do something. Our ideal venue, The Advent Hall, cropped up for sale in the same year – a small, central and perfectly formed stone-built chapel. We decided to raise funds to buy it via a share offer, with stakes as small as £10. We raised £50,000, and so with the help of a mortgage and council grants, we opened in July 2014.
For a pint-sized shop we pack a lot in – 5,200 items at a recent stock take. We have shelves bursting with organic fruit and veg. There is meat from nearby farms, a milk refill machine supplied by a local dairy, and Sunday papers and croissants at the weekend. As an artist, I love the gift section, which is full of lovingly crafted, locally made items – from mugs and felting kits, to fabric noticeboards and knitted socks. Talking about the shop from an individual point of view feels a little unfaithful to its ethos. I have managed the rota for the past seven years and I also do early shifts every third Sunday, but I am just one of the nine locals who oversee and manage the store, while there are 85 people on our volunteer list. They don’t just staff the till, but also buy from suppliers, clean the shop, bank the takings and fundraise. There are also two paid administrators.
The shop is a fixture of community life – one lovely elderly gent used to come in every day and stay for a cup of tea. In wild weather, we become a lifeline and during the Beast from the East, the shop was jam-packed. Our monthly newsletter recently highlighted the collapse of one resident’s Cotswold stone wall. Offers to help rebuild it poured in. Personally, I’ve made many friends through the shop, but also a huge number of friendly acquaintances, which makes for a very cosy feeling, as you’re forever bumping into people you know as you go about your daily life around the village. People are incredibly generous with their time. Only once in a blue moon is the shop unmanned and has to close. Occasionally, some poor soul will walk in for a bottle of milk, and end up staying for two hours to run the place! But, generally speaking it’s open seven days a week and ticks by just fine. Long may it continue to muddle along so happily. chalfordshop.wordpress.com