On this page we are gathering some of the articles that have appeared on the website in the past.
December 2012 brought HOT NEWS!
Post point arrived!
Yes,
in December 2012, Post point came to Barrowden. It is a
service much appreciated by a lot of people, and steadily more folk are
using it. Remember that you can post your larger letters without waiting for the postie to open up the box! And you can send your parcels up to 5 kg.
Simply pop the parcel on the weighing machine, see how much the postage
is, buy the stamps from the Shop Counter, and off you go, leaving the parcel to be collected later that afternoon. And all from your own village shop. No need to drive to Ketton or Uppingham. Parking is right by the Shop and it's free.
And
of course for so many of your regular needs, especially after Christmas
when most of us are still well-stocked , most of what you want is here.
And so too are friends and neighbours, all set to swap news of Family
gatherings.
No need for the hassle of driving to town, parking, paying and walking, quite a side from carrying it all back to the car again. Call in to The Shop and see what you can get there first. We will even deliver it all to your door if that would help.
If you are on the village email system, (what a boon that is!) you will
get regular up-dates on what is available. But best is to see for
yourself. Most items are highly competitive with other places. Check it
out for yourself!
The Shop Annual General Meeting was held on Thursday 18th October 2012 and covered the period April 2011 to March 2012.
In
her Report the Chair of the Trustee Volunteer Directors, Sheila
Saunders, paid tribute to the wide range of other unpaid volunteers who
serve in the Shop, care for the garden, and contribute in many
behind-the-scenes ways. She thanked the Shop Manager, David Lewis, for
his leadership in maintaining a high level of varied stock, much of it
locally-sourced. Although strictly outside of the scope of this AGM, she
also welcomed the arrival of the trainee assistant manager, Michaela
Hopkins, and wished her well in her new post.But it is the support of satisfied customers who determine whether or not a Shop can
continue. She thanked the numbers of local residents who use the Shop
and welcomed the range of people from other villages who are gradually
discovering that we exist. She challenged
those who think that Shop prices are higher than other shops, and
reminded them of the increasing cost of fuel to travel to other places
when they can shop in the convenience of their own village. A very big difference to Shop sales could happen if every customer bought one or two more items each week.
Currently we have a grant to cover the cost of the Assistant Manager, but this is only for one year.
We have improved sales so that we cover the cost of the Manager in the
year under review, and the challenge is to be able to take on the
assistant manager as well after this year.
Sheila paid tribute to the Company Secretary, Gill Coleman, who makes sure the books balance
and that all records are kept efficiently. Amongst others she also
thanked in particular Peter Ratcliffe for his readiness to put his
knowledge and his skills at the service of the Shop especially when some emergency arose.Looking to the future she looked forward to the long-awaited opportunity to provide some postal services which
are due to start on Monday 29th October. As with all new services there
are the inevitable hitches and unexpected hazards, but a start will be
made then. It is hoped that parcels can be
accepted alongside larger letters for which there is currently no
provision in the village post-boxes. There will be a weighing machine
and stamps available, with a GPO collection each weekday.
Sheila then outlined some of the possible developments in Shop provision. Most of these will depend on someone being willing to pursue the matter perhaps someone not currently on the serving rota but who feels they could do this as their time permits. Many are ideas she had seen working well in other Community Shops. If you would be willing to explore any one of these further, do contact the Shop on 748748 or Sheila direct on 747036.
The ideas include: Instore bakery with Cuisine de France (Wooton). Monthly/occasional village lottery to all houses. WInner receives shop
voucher (Collyweston). Regular supply of plants. Special weeks for
particular foods ( e.g.Market Overton smoked fish one week each month).
Fishmonger van with weekly stop at shop (Strood Green). monthly recipe
with all ingredients available in the shop (Longborough). Localised gifts (Longborough). Shopping basket with comparison of costs at other places. Display and gift packaging (Brockweir). Facebook presence. Assistance with... website, .....finance..... admin..... increased cafe menu....sourcing other greetings cards. Any other ideas?? or offers??
This is a Community Shop..... to serve the whole community and to be serviced by the whole community. The more we each put in, the better it becomes.
| Another Saturday Spectacular from your local Community ShopLots of you joined us on Saturday 31st March
This
year's High Sheriff was with us as we looked ahead to Easter with an
Easter Hat and Easter Tree Competition, and as we celebrated two years
of green electricity, generated by our own solar PV panels.Mr
Peter Lawson, this year's High Sheriff of Rutland, had heard good
reports of his predecessor's visit to Barrowden, and was very open to an
invitation to come and visit us in his official capacity. So we looked
forward to welcoming him and Mrs Lawson. We
were not disappointed. In spite of a cooler morning a good number
gathered in the cafe area and heard him explain a little about his
official Court Dress which he had kindly worn for the occasion. Then
he and Mrs Lawson judged the Easter Hat and Easter Tree competitions,
and also drew the winning numbers for the raffle. The first Prize, a
water painting of Barrowden pond, given by the Rutland Lions, was won by
Mr David Fry.
Younger people were invited to show their creative skills
by making an Easter Hat. All sorts of hats and decorating materials
were on hand to inspire their imaginations. Some
brought their own hats and ribbons, which all added to the fun.
Frances Traves and Thelma Fry were there to help in the making of the
Easter Trees on both Friday afternoon and on the Saturday morning.
For
the raffle a spectacular First Prize was a painting of Barrowden
Village Green by local artist David Thompson. It is a gift from the
Rutland Lions organisation. Other great prizes were just waiting for you
to buy the lucky ticket.
To help promote green energy from our
own roof-tops, local businessman Steve Rudkin and our own Chris Jackson
were available to explain what sites will work and how to save on carbon
emissions by generating our own electricity. Your Community Shop has
been doing this for two years now, and we are delighted to report that
we have generated 12% more energy than was first forecast. Have you
ever looked up over the shop door on the inside and noticed the display
panel that tells us how we getting on? How does it work ? Would it be
good idea for your house? How much would it cost? The answers came clear
on Saturday.
Plus, of course, there was coffee and cake or hot cross
buns from the Shop Cafe, and the usual wide range of shopping goods from
the Community Shop itself. Have you checked out our prices against the
regular charges in other places? We think we stand tall in offering
excellent value for your money.
So thank you for joining us on Saturday March 31st for a great time together.
Above, the High Sheriff explains his Court Dress.
The preparations on the Friday afternoon.
Even the donkey was not forgotten.
From the Easter hat and tree competition
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