Our village shop and Post Office may be about to close for good — unless the community takes action now.

For reasons beyond their control, Michelle and Iain have asked the Community to consider taking the Store and Post Office on as a not-for-profit community business, they are keen to work with us to give assistance and ensure a smooth transition. A temporary Steering Group has formed to find out whether there is enough support to make that happen, and this questionnaire is the first, urgent step: we need to know how you use the shop today, what you'd want from it in the future, and very, very importantly whether you can help.

ARE YOU PREPARED TO HELP?

SAVE OUR SHOP!

Austwick Shop is a vital part of our Community. It provides convenient access to everyday essentials, it creates a welcoming space where people can connect with one another, it offers access to postal services, and so much more. As a major asset, it is a significant factor in maintaining the value of our houses and it serves us in so many ways beyond its role as a shop, imagine Austwick without it, no bumping into friends for a chat, no
help with prescriptions, a reduction in social interaction for many and adverts for houses in Austwick include the presence of the Shop as a key selling point, don’t risk losing it.

If the Community decide this long-standing valuable part of the Parish is worth saving, it will be a long-term commitment, not a quick fix. If the project goes ahead, the shop and Post Office would be run by a new, independent community organisation — most likely a Community Benefit Society registered with the Financial Conduct Authority — controlled by volunteers, not by the Parish Hall or Parish Council. The Parish Council is separately looking at registering the building itself as an Asset of Community Value, a related but different legal step. 

This questionnaire follows guidance from Plunkett UK, the charity that has helped set up over 800 community-owned shops across rural Britain. Please complete this questionnaire and answer as honestly as you can — there are no wrong answers, every response shapes what we bring back to the village. We need as many responses as possible to support applications for funding.