Official Opening of Welcombe Community Shop 1st July 2006
Pictures courtesy of Paul Jenner www.pauljennerphotography.co.uk
DRAMA AT WELCOMBE COMMUNITY SHOP LAUNCH
A loud explosion interrupted the speeches at the official launch of the Welcombe Community Shop on Saturday, 1st July.
It
was a hot, still afternoon and the assembled villagers, district and county
councillors were celebrating the opening of the Community Shop staffed by
volunteers and funded by the Lottery and Devon Renaissance. Suddenly there
was a bang and a puff of smoke from the barns at Hollocombe Farm and two very
shady characters, appeared from behind the shop building, dressed in black
and wearing masks and carrying a large sack marked SWAG. To everyone’s
relief, Cruel Coppinger and his sidekick, the Black Surfer, said they hadn’t
come to rob us but to hand back the proceeds of earlier dirty doings to help
the new shop and Post Office succeed!
Cruel
Coppinger then pointed his sawn off shotgun at the audience – he had
sawn off the wrong half and was left with just the barrels – and told
them to use the shop or loose it. The dodgy duo disappeared as abruptly
as they had appeared, allegedly in the direction of the Old Smithy Inn.
Meanwhile the launch continued with a special thank you to Frank Price and Marion Buchan who had provided the shop with premises and put in a lot of hard work fixing shelving and helping display the stock in the last two weeks.
Special
thanks were also due to Shop manager
Glenda Heather for all the extra time and energy she has put in to making
the opening possible.
John Moat, Welcombe’s resident poet, read one of his poems which entertained
us all and had a sting in the tail, reflecting on the need for small local
businesses rather than more giant supermarkets.
Becky
Price had won the competition to design a logo for the shop and was presented
with a prize by David Westcott, the Welcombe Potter. Then Sheila Wade, our
Churchwarden, said a blessing on the new enterprise. Finally, with a triumphant
fanfare from the three piece band of Debbie and Tim Body and Angela Horswill,
the ribbon in front of the shop was cut and the shop declared officially open.
Everyone
then enjoyed a glass of wine and sampled some of the goodies the shop has
on offer and there was an opportunity to meet our District Councillors, Trevor
Sillifant and Bill Pillman and our County Councillor, Humphrey Temperley,
who had said a few words of support. Geoffrey Cox, our MP had also sent a
congratulatory message and plans to visit next month.
Now the shop is open do visit us and tell us what you want to buy in the shop. As Cruel Coppinger said: “Use it or loose it!”.
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Copyright© Welcombe Community Shop Association Ltd. September 2006