New community looks to raise funds to open village shop in Pease Pottage

The new village shop will be located within the Woodgate Hub, a multi-purpose facility built and donated by Thakeham, at the heart of the neighbourhood. Managed by local residents and run by the community, for the community, the shop will primarily serve the 619 homes at Woodgate, and Pease Pottage, a well-established village of over 250 homes, who have felt the inconvenience of living in a community without a shop.

The share offer is being launched by the shop’s management committee, Woodgate Community Hub Ltd, which was set up by a group of residents to bring their vision of a community-run shop within walking distance of their homes to life. Since then, they’ve been working closely with the Plunkett Foundation, a national charity that supports communities to create innovative, impactful and inclusive spaces through community-owned business.

Sophie Peckham, Secretary of Woodgate Community Hub Ltd, said: “We’re launching an ambitious share offer to raise £50,000 to fund the start-up costs of opening our shop, such as the purchase of stock and the recruitment of staff.

“Our project has shown that when people come together we can make a real difference to the local community. We hope to create a shop that not only offers daily staples like bread and milk, but also reduces food miles by offering local produce, reduces the need for car journeys and is also a place where people can meet and chat with their neighbours.”

“Local people have been incredibly supportive of creating a community-run shop on the development. By investing as little as £10, you can help to make this vision a reality for the communities of Woodgate and Pease Pottage.”

The community share offer is open to individuals and organisations. Those interested in investing should read the Share Offer fully and take appropriate financial advice. The Share Offer is available to download on the Woodgate Community Shop website here: https://woodgatecommunityshop.co.uk/membership