Our Story
When Broughton’s long-standing village store closed in August 2018 due to the retirement of its owners, residents of Broughton were faced with the prospect of driving 5 miles to Stockbridge for a pint of milk. A small group got together and, having canvassed the rest of the village, the idea of a Community Shop, run solely by volunteers, was born.
With the advice and support of the Plunkett Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation that helps rural communities get off the ground, Broughton Community Shop (Hampshire) Ltd was set up as a Community Benefit Society and registered with the FCA in May 2018. Shortly afterwards a Community Share issue was launched, with shares priced at £20 to reflect the village’s SO20 postcode. More than 200 residents invested, buying anything from a single share to a maximum holding of £5,000, and £51,000 was raised in 6 weeks. Determined to open the day after West View Stores was due to close, the small team of volunteers tracked down a shipping container and, with the support and skills of a willing team of helpers, the container was transformed into a ‘Shop in a Box’ which opened its doors on time on 20th August 2018.
Small but perfectly formed, the Shop in a Box, for 15 months successfully supplied essentials and treats, fresh and frozen goods, local produce and much more to the residents of Broughton and nearby villages as well as passers-by. It brought a new meaning to the phrase ‘quart in a pint pot’ – it was like a tardis! West View Stores remained open with a Post Office counter as well as selling cards and stationery for a year and then a weekly outreach post office service was provided on the forecourt of the Village Hall to temporarily meet the village’s needs.
The long-term vision for the Community Shop to include the Post Office and a coffee shop couldn’t be materialised in the ‘Box’ but the timing was perfect. The Village Hall was about to embark on a refurbishment and an extension to include a wing housing an archive of Broughton history – and so, very generously, a space for the Community Shop to rent was added.
On Monday 2nd December 2019, Broughton Community Shop opened its new and bigger doors in its larger premises in the newly refurbished Village Hall along with the new Post Office and Coffee counters. The vaulted ceiling, glass wall and wide aisles give a feeling of space. The laden shelves carry all the essentials, fresh and frozen, with a real emphasis on local suppliers. Centre stage, there is a range of dry and liquid refillables – a real focus on reducing single use plastic. Orders can be placed for almost anything – the Shop likes a challenge!
The Post Office counter offers all the services of a local post office in a calm and uncrowded environment. And the addition of the Coffee Shop serving a range of hot drinks and delicious home-made cakes invites customers to stop for a moment, meet with friends or sit and watch the world go by. The Shop is on the map for walkers and cyclists – destined to be a ‘destination’.
A Manager and Assistant Manager run the Post Office and have oversight of daily operations whilst an enthusiastic teams of volunteers take ownership of everything from sorting the newspapers and some of the ordering to operating the till and serving customers with a smile. It truly is a team effort and it makes the Shop a great place to volunteer as well as, of course, to shop!
Broughton Community Shop is well on its way to fully achieving its overarching aim of becoming a real hub of this very special village community.
When Broughton’s long-standing village store closed in August 2018 due to the retirement of its owners, residents of Broughton were faced with the prospect of driving 5 miles to Stockbridge for a pint of milk. A small group got together and, having canvassed the rest of the village, the idea of a Community Shop, run solely by volunteers, was born.
With the advice and support of the Plunkett Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation that helps rural communities get off the ground, Broughton Community Shop (Hampshire) Ltd was set up as a Community Benefit Society and registered with the FCA in May 2018. Shortly afterwards a Community Share issue was launched, with shares priced at £20 to reflect the village’s SO20 postcode. More than 200 residents invested, buying anything from a single share to a maximum holding of £5,000, and £51,000 was raised in 6 weeks. Determined to open the day after West View Stores was due to close, the small team of volunteers tracked down a shipping container and, with the support and skills of a willing team of helpers, the container was transformed into a ‘Shop in a Box’ which opened its doors on time on 20th August 2018.
Small but perfectly formed, the Shop in a Box, for 15 months successfully supplied essentials and treats, fresh and frozen goods, local produce and much more to the residents of Broughton and nearby villages as well as passers-by. It brought a new meaning to the phrase ‘quart in a pint pot’ – it was like a tardis! West View Stores remained open with a Post Office counter as well as selling cards and stationery for a year and then a weekly outreach post office service was provided on the forecourt of the Village Hall to temporarily meet the village’s needs.
The long-term vision for the Community Shop to include the Post Office and a coffee shop couldn’t be materialised in the ‘Box’ but the timing was perfect. The Village Hall was about to embark on a refurbishment and an extension to include a wing housing an archive of Broughton history – and so, very generously, a space for the Community Shop to rent was added.
On Monday 2nd December 2019, Broughton Community Shop opened its new and bigger doors in its larger premises in the newly refurbished Village Hall along with the new Post Office and Coffee counters. The vaulted ceiling, glass wall and wide aisles give a feeling of space. The laden shelves carry all the essentials, fresh and frozen, with a real emphasis on local suppliers. Centre stage, there is a range of dry and liquid refillables – a real focus on reducing single use plastic. Orders can be placed for almost anything – the Shop likes a challenge!
The Post Office counter offers all the services of a local post office in a calm and uncrowded environment. And the addition of the Coffee Shop serving a range of hot drinks and delicious home-made cakes invites customers to stop for a moment, meet with friends or sit and watch the world go by. The Shop is on the map for walkers and cyclists – destined to be a ‘destination’.
A Manager and Assistant Manager run the Post Office and have oversight of daily operations whilst an enthusiastic teams of volunteers take ownership of everything from sorting the newspapers and some of the ordering to operating the till and serving customers with a smile. It truly is a team effort and it makes the Shop a great place to volunteer as well as, of course, to shop!
Broughton Community Shop is well on its way to fully achieving its overarching aim of becoming a real hub of this very special village community.
