MORE than £350,000 has been handed to community-owned businesses across Somerset to ensure these vital community assets can prosper.
Five shops, cafés and pubs across Somerset have been awarded more than £350,000 by the Somerset Community Foundation (SCF) since 2020 to help these businesses thrive and support the Somerset economy.
This includes £100,000 to the Heart of the Village shop, café and pub in Stoke St Gregory, £50,000 to the Halse & District Community Benefit Society community shop in Taunton, £52,000 to the Taunton East Development Trust community shop and £120,000 to Shepton Mallet’s new community retail incubator, 10 Market Place.
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These investments were made through SCF’s social enterprise fund, which combines loans and grants for social enterprises and charities so they can invest and grow the income they earn from selling their goods or services.
Stogumber Community Shop has also been offered a conditional £20,000 loan and a £10,000 grant to help fund a shop fit for their recently purchased premises through SCF’s new Somerset social investment programme.
This comes after villagers raised an impressive £188,000 through a community shares initiative, ensuring their rural village continues to have access to a vital community shop.
Amelia Thompson, senior programmes manager at SCF, said: “We’re really proud to have invested over £350,000 into community-owned shops and pubs since 2020.
“The resilience of these communities to come together and create socially run businesses in often very rural locations is brilliant. It’s great to hear how some of these organisations are now able to invest the surplus income into other community ventures, too.
“These cherished community hubs are the heart and soul of their villages – many of which were on the brink of closure before their communities rallied together to preserve them.
“Their survival and success stand as a testament to the power of local determination and collaboration. And a few of them are now seeing surplus at year-end, which is being invested back into their local community.”
Mary Nash MBE, treasurer of Heart of the Village (Stoke St Gregory) Limited, said: “Any village the size of Stoke St Gregory needs several things to keep it alive, including a school, a church, a village hall, a shop and a pub. We had all of these, but in 2018 both pubs and the shop were for sale.
“Times are hard for small shops and pubs in rural areas. But rather than wait until our key village institutions closed for good, several of the villagers launched the project to save our shop and pub, raising over £200,000 in six months, before it was too late – knowing that the community would face the far more demanding prospect of re-establishing two new businesses from scratch, should they close.
“We’re incredibly grateful for the funding from Somerset Community Foundation. Thanks to the funding, we’ve gone on to win many awards in recognition of the community project, including the prestigious BBC Make a Difference Award.
“We’ve continued to expand our offering including a Talking Café, accessible toilet facilities, and a Post Office service, and we continue to listen to our community on how to shape Heart of the Village going forward.”
Ms Thompson added: “With thanks to Somerset Council, we’re still offering social investment funding to organisations across Somerset and would encourage any communities looking to take on management of their pubs, shops, or community businesses to come and have a chat with us.”
To find out more or to arrange a talk with the team at SCF about their social investment program visit www.somersetcf.org.uk/grants-funding/details/somerset-social-investment-programme
Alternatively, Ms Thompson can be contacted at amelia.thompson@somersetcf.org.uk or 01749 344949.
Fantastic real Community initiative run mainly by Volunteers. Thanks to the Somerset Community Foundation.