AN IMPORTANT UPDATE FROM CILCAIN COMMUNITY SHOP STEERING GROUP…
PROGRESS ON OUR NEW COMMUNITY SHOP
Although it is nearly 3 weeks since the last newsletter, much hard work has been going on in the background to identify a suitable legal structure for the new enterprise, and to negotiate the new shop location.
Our new Community Shop will be in the Committee Room in the Village Hall, achieved with support and help from the Village Hall Management Committee and the Community Council.
The legal structure for our new Community Shop will be a Community Benefit Society. This structure was chosen with advice from a national organisation which helps to set up community enterprises. It will allow everyone in the village to take a financial stake in the new shop, however small. It is a democratic structure (one member, one vote) which allows people to influence the way in which the shop is run for the benefit of the whole community.
A Project Planning Team has been set up under the guidance of a project planning specialist. This team, drawn from our volunteer specialists, will produce a project plan covering all the things that need to be done to set up the shop for operation. Specialist teams covering the many aspects of setting up and running a shop effectively will soon be formed to carry out the detailed work. Those of you who have volunteered to help run the shop will then be contacted for rota forming and training – thank you.
A major task will be designing, equipping and planning the operation of the shop: the aim is to establish an attractive shop in a cost effective way, initially with products which you have identified as priority. Equipping the shop is the main financial challenge. Many of you have offered to help with funding, and as soon as our legal structure is approved and registered with the Financial Conduct Authority, we will be in touch – thank you.
The timing of opening of the new shop is dependent on how long it will take to complete all the work ahead of us. This should be clearer when the project plan is completed. We will continue to keep you informed of progress and you can be assured that many people will be working hard to achieve a successful and timely opening.
In the meantime, there will be a transfer of newspapers from the pub to the Committee Room from Monday 16 April: those who use this service will be informed of the details in advance. The Post Office will continue to operate in the Committee Room, and a better communication line will be installed to improve reliability.
If you have any questions, or want to give your opinions, or add your name to the list of volunteers, just reply to this email and we will respond.
Cilcain Community Shop Steering Group
A Project Planning Team has been set up under the guidance of a project planning specialist. This team, drawn from our volunteer specialists, will produce a project plan covering all the things that need to be done to set up the shop for operation. Specialist teams covering the many aspects of setting up and running a shop effectively will soon be formed to carry out the detailed work. Those of you who have volunteered to help run the shop will then be contacted for rota forming and training – thank you.
A major task will be designing, equipping and planning the operation of the shop: the aim is to establish an attractive shop in a cost effective way, initially with products which you have identified as priority. Equipping the shop is the main financial challenge. Many of you have offered to help with funding, and as soon as our legal structure is approved and registered with the Financial Conduct Authority, we will be in touch – thank you.
The timing of opening of the new shop is dependent on how long it will take to complete all the work ahead of us. This should be clearer when the project plan is completed. We will continue to keep you informed of progress and you can be assured that many people will be working hard to achieve a successful and timely opening.
In the meantime, there will be a transfer of newspapers from the pub to the Committee Room from Monday 16 April: those who use this service will be informed of the details in advance. The Post Office will continue to operate in the Committee Room, and a better communication line will be installed to improve reliability.
If you have any questions, or want to give your opinions, or add your name to the list of volunteers, just reply to this email and we will respond.
Cilcain Community Shop Steering Group