Supporting our village and local community
We are pleased to give official notice of the Annual General Meeting of Farmborough Community Shop.
You can view and download the following documents:
All members are welcome to join us and will receive details of registration for this online meeting, which should last no more than one hour.
Members are requested to let us know by Friday, 28 March, whether they will be able to attend.
Put it in your diary! Our Big Family Apple Day at the Shop and Memorial Hall Garden on Sunday 29 September from 11am-3pm.
Come and turn all your apples and pears into tasty juice with our apple presses. Remember to bring a bucket or suitable container(s) to take everything home! A small charge for pressed juice will be made to cover running costs. See our guidelines for what to bring below…
No apples and pears? No worries! Come with friends and family to celebrate the abundance of local fruit, watch the apple pressing, play our fun family games, find out how to make cider, and visit your local village shop for groceries and treats.
Apple juice, hot and cold drinks, cake, ice cream, and bacon bap/veggie sausages will be available throughout the event and the shop will be open from 10am to browse and buy, including Sunday newspapers.
Big Family Apple Day Guidelines
The Big Family Apple Day is run by volunteers and relies on the goodwill of all involved to run smoothly and efficiently. We also kindly request that participants observe the following guidelines:
Please help us promote this event, download the Big Family Apple Day poster and share our event on Facebook.
Truespeed has installed a ‘free for life’ community broadband connection to the shop.
Not only has this improved the internet service required for daily operation, along with reducing our monthly costs, but it also allows us to offer free WiFi to all patrons of the shop and coffee shop during opening hours.
The regional manager of Truespeed, Tony Najdoski, recently presented Chris and a small number of volunteers with a commemorative plaque that will be added to our ‘Wall of Fame’.
We would like to thank Truespeed for this generous contribution to our community shop and we encourage all patrons to make use of this free service via our guest network.
We are delighted to have won ‘Community Shop of the Year 2020’ in the South West Prestige Awards.
The awards recognise the important work of small and independent businesses and celebrate those which consistently offer excellent products and services to local people. Osmaan Mahmood, Founder and CEO of Prestige Awards, said, “Although small businesses may not be able to com- pete with multinational companies on their size and scale, there is a personalised service-driven focus that is often void from large organisations.”
Chris Bullock, shop manager, collected the award at a ceremony held in Exeter, and said, “A big thank you goes to all the volun- teers and supporters of the shop who have helped us to grow over the last three years. We look forward to continuing to serve the community for many years to come.”
In February 2020, the Farmborough Community Shop Management Committee made the decision to launch an initiative to improve the energy efficiency of the shop, raising the funds needed through community pledges and grant applications.
The aims were to replace inefficient electrical equipment alongside the installation of 14 solar photovoltaic (solar PV) panels. The total investment needed was in excess of £6,000, which would save the shop at least £500 per year. To maximise the saving, the solar PV panels needed to be fitted before the end of March to qualify for preferential Feed-in Tariff (FIT) electricity rates.
The full cost of the project was achieved within weeks of the initiative’s launch, including a grant of £2700 from The Naturesave Trust towards the cost of the solar PV installation, which was installed mid-March, one week before lockdown.
A comparison of energy use between 2019 and 2020 for the six months from April to September has shown a reduction of 3311kWh, which equates to a saving of £511 to the shop and a reduction in the amount of CO2 totalling 117kg.
Phil Gray, Treasurer to Farmborough Community Shop said, “The installation of the solar PV panels, funded through a combination of grant funding from The Naturesave Trust and community pledges, has surpassed our expectations. Our original calculations indicated that we would reduce our annual electricity bill by £550, but the operational figures show that the panels have exceeded this in just over six months of use.
“Farmborough Community Shop is currently using 80% of the total energy being produced by the panels, and this is saving us money which can be spent in other areas of our business and increasing community support. A significant reduction in CO2 is also something we are proud to have achieved, making our business more environmentally sustainable.”
The community shop has been an important hub of the village since 2018, but 2020 has seen a greater need for its services, with over 500 home deliveries made to local vulnerable and shielding villagers throughout the Covid crisis.
The Naturesave Trust is funded by the activities of Naturesave Insurance, the UK’s leading ethical insurance provider for individuals, businesses, charities and community groups.
Our project has been featured in the following local press and media:
