IT is a village shop that has been at the heart of its neighbourhood for a decade.
Now residents in the Clatfords have come together to celebrate the store’s 10th birthday under community ownership.
Dozens of homeowners from the area were joined by the Mayor of Test Valley, Cllr Jan Lovell, and Sir George Young MP to mark the milestone with cake and a glass of champagne.
Past managers of Clatfords Village Store, other local businessmen and representatives of Hampshire County Council who had helped the shop down the years also joined in Saturday’s festivities.
Mike Shellard, of Goodworth Clatford, formed a committee and by 2004 shares were sold to the villagers of Goodworth Clatford and Upper Clatford, a committee of volunteers was formed to run the site and Clatfords Village Store was born.
The shop is still going strong and now has a paid manager and two part-time staff, with other shifts worked by volunteers.
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