New lease of life in village

Claire’s shop and cafe project idea

A community-minded Perthshire businesswoman is hoping to bolster part of village life through two new ventures.

Claire Dodds, who lives in Aberuthven, will tomorrow open a village shop - and in the process recreate a village hub which was lost more than a decade ago.

And, by the summer, Aberuthven should also have a new cafe, housed in and around the village hall, something which is also Claire’s brainchild.

Speaking to the Perthshire Advertiser, Claire (42), explained she had been working on turning her plans for community focal points into fruition for the past two years.

She said: “I moved to Aberuthven in 2001 and since then the village has expanded with new housing but the facilities haven’t.

“There’s very little here for young people who have to go to Auchterarder or Perth and our growing older population also might struggle if they want things on their doorstep. Not everyone can make the trip to Auchterarder, especially in winter.

“As a full-time stepmum, the lack of things to do became fairly apparent in the past few years, so I decided to do some research.”

Claire came up with the idea of a shop which would provide essentials closer to home, and also a cafe. She tackled the scheme with support from husband-to-be Stewart and step-daughter Kayleigh.

After looking for potential sites and one option falling through, Aberuthven’s village hall was considered. She also surveyed residents about what they wanted for Aberuthven, with 100% of those surveyed showing interest in a shop and strong support for a cafe.

Claire approached the village hall’s officials and was given approval for a cafe, as well as planning permission for a hut-style shop by the hall.

Claire added: “There is a community benefit to the shop and cafe as it will hopefully be part of a move to support the village and not have people looking elsewhere.

“The shop will sell the essentials like bread and milk, so that will remove the need for getting into the car and we’ll be adding newspapers and other provisions. In the longer term I hope they become a big part of village life and used by other groups.”

The shop at the village hall, set back from Main Street, will officially open at noon on Saturday with Strathallan Councillor Ann Gaunt attending. It will open daily and hours will be shaped around community demand.