Community

A Little History

Woodgreen’s original village shop and post office was built as an extension to a 17th century thatched cottage in the first years of the 20th century. When the business became threatened with closure in 2006, it became evident that the Shop and Post Office would only continue if the lease was acquired by the community. The village pulled together, with shares, donations and practical help, and by the deadline of 31st December 2006 everything was in place, and the Shop and Post Office was taken over by the Woodgreen Community Shop Association Ltd on a five-year maximum lease.

The existing shop was run as a successful community-owned enterprise while a site was found for a new, permanent premises. There followed four years of campaigning and fundraising by the local community culminating in the building of our new shop. It was opened to customers on 14th May 2011.

What is a Community Shop?

Woodgreen Community Shop is owned by the local community, for the benefit of the local community. It is a not-for-profit business, run by shareholders on the basis of one-member, one-vote. An elected committee (Woodgreen Community Shop Association) represents the wider membership and determines how the business operates.

Shareholders continue to play a crucial role in the oversight and governance of what we do.

If you have never invested in shares before, your £10 subscription will entitle you to a vote and a voice at the Annual General Meeting, to be held in September. It represents your contribution to the continued development of this fantastic resource.

The day-to-day running of the shop is managed by a team of paid staff and volunteers.

For more information about Community Shops, see https://plunkett.co.uk/

Community Support

For Woodgreen, as with most villages that still have them, the Shop and Post Office are important and, for some people, vital resources. It is a meeting place, communication centre, and an important lynch-pin of village life. The shop’s new coffee area provides a space for relaxing, meeting and watching the world go by.

Events

We hold tasting events in the village hall or in the car park to showcase new products and suppliers. The shop supports local groups such as the Hale & Woodgreen Horticultural Society and local WI, and hosts fundraising efforts such as MacMillan coffee mornings. The Christmas shopping evening is a great occasion to sing some carols, enjoy a mulled wine and make sure the turkey is ordered!

Woodgreen Village Welcome Pack

Are you new to the village? The purpose of The Welcome Pack is to get new residents started, with information about the services and activities in the village and immediate area. We hope you will come to love living here as much as we do, and become as active as possible in our various enterprises.

Woodgreen Walks

Our 2019 Woodgreen calendar featured 12 short walks originating in Woodgreen and exploring the surrounding area. It included over 50 beautiful photographs illustrating the routes and was a sell-out! The walks are now described in more detail in their own website.

Woodgreen History

For 2017, the shop calendar adopted a historical theme with old photos, memorabilia and stories about our village and its people. In the end, we could only show a small fraction of the material we amassed. Subsequently, we put the following website together to provide a more comprehensive and permanent record of our findings.