Allenheads Community Shop

Case Study

Villagers in Allenheads are celebrating the opening of their new village shop and now have somewhere to buy basic provisions in the isolated rural community for the first time in two years. The £30,000 project to get the shop up-and-running marks the end of a long campaign by the Allenheads Trust Ltd to improve local services in the Northumberland village. The shop was officially opened by Mrs Susie Hall, an Allenheads resident for 30 years and a keen supporter of the project. A grant of £14,399 from North Pennine Dales LEADER played a vital part in the success of the project.

The funding is being made available through the Rural Development Programme for England, which is jointly funded by Defra and the European Union, and is managed by One NorthEast in the North East region. It ensured that the Trust could secure a £10,000 contribution from the Big Lottery’s Awards For All programme and donations from the Sir James Knott Trust, The Joicey Trust, William Leech Charity, Hadrian Trust and local councils. A redundant workshop next door to the Trust’s popular Hemmel Cafe has been transformed into a shop and Christine Hutchinson is responsible for running both. “It is wonderful to see the shop open at last,” she said. “Everyone in the village was asked to suggest items that they would like to have on sale here so, hopefully, we have been able to make sure that we are catering for a wide range of needs.”

The shop stocks a wide range of goods from locally produced items including pork from Sparty Lea Saddlebacks, lamb, chocolates, jewellery, artwork, eggs and beer from the Allendale Brewery to everyday necessities such as milk, bread, toiletries, cleaning products, tinned goods, firewood and cat food. There are even seasonal items such as pumpkins for Halloween and wrapping paper for Christmas. The shop will not only cater for villagers but also for the many visitors, tourists and thousands of cyclists who now pass through Allenheads using the C2C cycle route. Sue Ellwood, co-ordinator of North Pennine Dales LEADER, was first in the queue to buy goods from the newly opened shop. “LEADER is here to help improve the basic quality of life in rural areas and we are delighted that our grant has helped this project which not only provides a basic service but also supports the local economy and is an excellent use of community-owned assets,” she said.

Keith Walker, Chair of the Allenheads Trust Ltd, set up in 1987 and run by local volunteers to boost the economic fortunes of the village, said: “This is fantastic for the village as there has been no shop here for more than two years. With the nearest shops eight miles away it has been particularly difficult for anyone without a car. A three-hour round trip on public transport is a long way to go for a loaf of bread! We are very grateful to the LEADER programme and all the other funders as without their support this project would not have succeeded.”