I've raised £10000 to bring the Weston Pantry Shop and Post Office into community ownership (donations)
Organised by Weston SOS
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Weston SOS – ‘Save Our Shop!’
Weston SOS is seeking to raise money to purchase the Weston Pantry Shop and Post Office from its current owner and bring it into community ownership. We believe this will secure its long-term future as an invaluable asset to residents and businesses of Weston-on-the-Green and the surrounding area.
Weston SOS Limited was incorporated as a Community Benefit Society in July 2023, following a village meeting in February where the prospect of losing the shop was raised following the current owner’s desire to leave the business and retire as sub-postmistress after transforming it and running the shop successfully for the last 6 years.
We’ve become members of the Plunkett Foundation, received funded pre-application support (including a professional advisor and grant), and submitted our application for a £250,000 grant from the Community Ownership Fund which we will use in conjunction with the capital raised from our Community Share Offer, matched funding from the Community Share Booster Fund (if successful), donations and a commercial mortgage to purchase the Shop and Post Office.
We’ve sought the support of the local community for this venture with a survey sent out to the local community, engaging with the community via our website, village meetings(s), the local Village News, social media and received letters of support from the Parish Council and our local MP, John Howell.
"The Parish Council of Weston on the Green wishes to express our support for the Save our Shop (SOS) application for funding. Over the past months we have met with Sam Sharp, the Chair of the SOS Committee, on several occasions. Our meetings have been robust. We have been clear that any initiative to save the shop that would involve contributions of money must have a meticulous framework of financial governance. We are pleased that the SOS Committee has had qualified support from others deeply involved in trying to take ownership of assets and amenities at risk of closure." - Diane Bohm, Parish Council Chair
“I know the shop and have used it myself when in the village. I can understand the importance of it to the community to provide essential supplies and also as a post office. As such I can appreciate why the community would look to consider bringing the asset into community ownership and applaud you all for taking this initiative. The opportunity is provided by the Government for just such purposes. In a community such as Weston on the Green a shop and a post office provide a focus for people in the community. It helps to support those less able to travel, helps in cases of social isolation and in general can reduce car travel. I will take in faith that you have a viable business plan which will, of course be examined as part of the application. As such am happy to support your application.Wishing you all success in this venture.” - John Howell, MP for the Henley Constituency
For more information, you can visit our website www.weston-sos.org where you can find copies of our full business plan and community share offer document.
This page has been set up to allow members of the local community to make a donation to our cause, instead of purchasing community shares during our community share offer.
Making a donation is not an application for shares and does not entitle you to become a community shareholder. We will make best endeavours to contact all donators to confirm this and if we are unsuccessful in proceeding with the purchase of the Shop and Post Office we will do our best to return all donations.
