Brent Knoll’s Community Shop is reporting continued growth and success, and looks set to be open in a new building by the end of the year.

Shareholders in the community enterprise were updated on the latest news at the annual members’ meeting on Wednesday, July 17.

A new ‘shell’ building is being constructed by Brent Knoll Parish Council as part of the redevelopment of the village’s public toilets. The community shop team have already lodged £26,000 with the council towards the cost of converting the ‘shell’ into a fully equipped shop. Some of this money has come from grants towards the purchase of fridges, freezers, CCTV, air-conditioning, a new till system, etc, and some has been ringfenced from the shop’s trading profits, income from the sale of shares, and funds raised through special events.

There is still a funding gap of £14,000 to provide everything recommended by the shopfitters for the new building and maximise the chance of restoring Post Office services to Brent Knoll. The shop’s Chairman, David Yates, has urged all members to buy more shares and encourage others to do so.

The store opened as an ‘emergency shop’ during the first Covid lockdown, using the premises of the former village shop which had just closed down. There were already well supported plans for a community-run shop, but the lockdown made a temporary solution necessary. The shop later moved into a Portakabin in the village car park.

The fourth annual members’ meeting of Brent Knoll Community Shop on July 17 heard that their venture now has more than 160 shareholders and more than 30 volunteers.

Like other businesses, it was hit by global events. In his Treasurer’s Report, Bob Smith explained that the Portakabin’s annual electricity bill had rocketed from £500 to almost £5,500, but is now returning to more manageable levels. He also confirmed that the community shop continues to trade profitably, with growing sales, and has a healthy bank balance.

Meanwhile, the village toilets have now been demolished and the new building is taking shape, to provide two accessible public toilets and the new shop shell. The shop’s Chairman, David Yates, said the committee hope the new shop will be open for business by the end of the year.