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Hampstead Norreys Community Shop wins national award




Local shop named the best in Britain

Hampstead Norreys Community Shop and Café has been named Britain’s best village shop.

The shop beat off fierce competition to triumph in this year’s prestigious Countryside Alliance Awards – dubbed the ‘Rural Oscars’.

The shop has served the people of Hampstead Norreys since 2011.

It is one of only 370 community-run shops in Britain, and is mainly volunteer-driven, with more than 50 workers.

On select days, it lends its premises to local clubs and charities, including a dementia charity and a recycling workshop.

At a ceremony held at Parliament, the Alliance announced that the popular outlet had been recognised as a ‘British Champion’ in the category of ‘Village Shop/Post Office’.

Newbury MP Richard Benyon was at hand to celebrate with staff.

The Countryside Alliance Awards – now in their 14th year – seek to recognise the best small businesses in the UK.

They are given to those shops and pubs which place themselves at the centre of their communities and which provide an outstanding service to customers.

More than 17,000 businesses were nominated for the awards and the Hampstead Norreys Community Shop was one of just 10 that made it through to the national final.

Shop committee member Avril Mason, who collected the award, said she was “elated”.

She said: “It’s been 10 years of hard work. We’ve got a brilliant team, everybody gels with everybody else.

“We’re always ready for change, we’re always being proactive. At the moment, our big push is sustainability – we’re trying to use less and less plastic in the shop.”

Indeed, the shop’s anti-plastic mission was highlighted by judges as part of their decision to progress the community shop to the final round.

The shop is an advocate of ‘eco-bricking’, which repurposes used plastic bottles into useful items and utilities, such as park benches.

Plastic-free soap and shampoo are among the items it stocks.

Hampstead Norreys villagers conceived the Community Shop in the late-1990s, after the closure of the village shop and post office. However, it took over a decade for their vision to come to fruition.

The outlet has succeeded in spite of a shift to online retail and consumption and remains committed to providing traditional ‘face-to-face’ shopping.

In the light of its victory, Hampstead Norreys Parish Council chairman David Barlow praised the shop, saying: “It’s great for the village, and great for the community. It offers a great range of products.”



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