Our Story
Our story started in June 2023 when the community received news that the existing shop would close that July.
Faced with the loss of a key community asset, the residents of Perranwell Station pulled together to take us to where we are now: running a remarkable community store back in the original premises.
It took the vision of a small group of people, the generosity of many more, the commitment of a growing band of volunteers and the kindness of the new owner of the premises.
Below is a timeline of our story so far...
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[Remember, you can view all our accounts here and all our policies and procedures here]
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Timeline
2023
June 1: The community receives news that the existing shop will close the following month.
June 16: A meeting of residents is organised by Perranwell residents Annie Hewitt, Peter Harding and Colin Bridges. Advice is sought from the Plunkett Foundation, which supports cooperative ventures. The meeting is very well attended and clearly indicates overwhelming support for the creation of another shop. A Steering Committee is convened to look at our options.
July 25: The Post Office closes.
July 30: The shop closes.
August 1: The Steering Committee stands down and a Management Committee is formed, comprising Peter Harding, Annie Hewitt, Chris Davey, Dave Ward, Liz Tindell and David Podd.
August 10: A public meeting is held to present a three-stage plan to the parishioners, which is met with approval. Fundraising commences.
August 15: A Limited Company is established.
September 10: A site office is purchased from Dainton’s in Devon and planning permission granted for a site at the top of the Village Hall car park.
September 20: Fundraising from parishioners, which had started in July, raises a total of £27,000.
September 27: Local tradespeople donate their time to prepare the site and help us to fit out the unit as a temporary shop.
November 5: The store opens in a temporary unit in the village hall car park. BBC Spotlight and Radio Cornwall cover the event.
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2024
June 18: The company is registered as a Community Benefit Society (CBS) by the Financial Conduct Authority.
July 1: Our share issue is launched, with 200 shares released at £50 per 'bundle' to enable parishioners to purchase and own their own part of the store.
September 29: We report that July was our best month yet, with £10,600 in sales.
October 13: The share issue closes. A total of 200 shares in Perranwell Community Stores were created, owned by 124 individuals. The £7,350 raised, combined with the original investment by complimentary shareholders, meant we had raised a total of £10,000 for the store.
November 2-3: We mark our first year of trading with special offers for shareholders and residents.
November 4: Village resident Jan Moore buys the old premises and offers to rent back the shop space to Perranwell Community Stores once refurbishments are completed.
December 20: The first Shareholders' Draw is held at the Royal Oak Pub.
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2025
January 30: The first annual shareholders' meeting is held.
June 15: We appoint our first Store Standards Manager, Graeme McCallum
June 19: A shop lease agreement is signed with the owner of the shop premises, Jan Moore.
July 2: Plans are announced to return the store to its original location.
July 24-26: The store closes for a few days while we move stock and fittings from our unit in the Village Hall car park into the old shop building and prepare for reopening.
July 27: The store reopens in its original premises.
August 16: A relaunch celebration is held at the store, together with our second shareholders' prize draw.