Hello and welcome to our December update!

We have just passed the second anniversary of the project's inception and can safely say we have very nearly reached the first major goal as our application has been completed and is being checked over before submission to the Rural Development Programme for England.  The turnaround in usually about two months so we should know whether or not we have been successful by late February.  

A local building firm has been selected as our preferred contractor and, all being well, the project could be under way by late spring.  Needless to say, there are more than a few provisos hanging on that prediction but we are very hopeful of getting our funding.  Which leads neatly back to you, the all important members of our local community, as always we need all the help and support we can garner - both in terms of donations and also offers of help and/or ideas for future fund raising. It is imperative that we demonstrate how committed the community is to making the whole project happen as that can be taken as a direct pointer to just how needed the facilities are. How much easier the last weeks of freezing temperatures would have been if we had all been able to do our shopping in the village!

We have been in consultation with a firm of shop fitters and have come up with a proposed layout for the new shop.  There will be a copy of the plans at the Community Market on 11 December and a further copy will be left in the post office for anyone to have a look at. Please do contact us if you have any suggestions or comments (good or bad!).

With future fund raising in mind - we will be holding a Silent Auction in the spring and would love some help and ideas to make this a fun and successful event.  Further details will follow and the date and contact numbers will be in the Parish News so do keep your eyes open.

And finally - many, many thanks to all those of you who have supported us thus far - it is hugely appreciated and without such a show of good will, I suspect the whole idea would have died a quiet death some time ago.  Let's hope for great things to come!