Antrobus Village Shop triumphs in regional awards (From Northwich Guardian)

Antrobus Village Shop triumphs in regional awards

8:30am Friday 3rd February 2012 in News By Gina Bebbington

A VILLAGE shop has been chosen to champion the north west in the Oscars of the rural world.

Volunteers at Antrobus Community Shop are celebrating after it was named a regional champion in the Countryside Alliance Awards 2011.

A delegation from the shop will be heading to the House of Lords in March to find out if they are the best village shop and Post Office in the UK.

Kath Hankey, volunteer, said: “We were really surprised when we found out.

“When the letter was delivered I never even opened it until nearly closing because we were so busy.”

The Countryside Alliance Awards are a celebration of rural life, produce and communities.

The shop, staffed entirely by volunteers, was nominated for an award by a villager who thought it was a perfect example of a shop at the hub of the community and a real inspiration to others.

Antrobus Community Shop opened in 2003 amid concerns that the original village shop had been closed for several months and the future of the Post Office was not secure.

Now, eight years on, it boasts a strong committee of eight with a group of 18 volunteers that can be called upon to man the counter every morning and almost every afternoon of the week.

Kath said: “We all pull together to keep the shop going and had our eighth anniversary in November – anyone that said it wouldn’t work was wrong.

“It’s not just a shop and post office, it’s not just about selling things, it’s also about putting people in touch – I’ve sold houses in here before now by knowing someone who was selling and hearing about someone wanting to buy.

“If you volunteer you do it because you want to do it and it does give you a good feeling.”

Kath also praised the Postmistress, Maggie Pinfold, who runs the post office for four mornings a week.