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The story of our village shop...

Carradale Community Shop - New Team Member (10/1/23)

We would like to give a warm welcome to Eleanor Sloan who joins us as a full time Shop Team Member. She joins both Trish and Tim to complete our Shop and Post Office Team. Eleanor is a well known local resident and has a wealth of knowledge and experience. Good luck Eleanor we are so happy to have you on board.

Carradale Community Shop and Post Office Requires A Part Time Post Office AssistantI (22/9/22)

If you are interested in applying please phone 07455 799970.

Carradale Community Shop - New Team Member (4/2/22)

Welcome to Trish Collins who joins the staff team as a part time Post Office and shop assistant. Trish is a well known local resident, who has been a volunteer within the community, cheerfully giving of her time since she came to live in Carradale. As our wee shop goes from strength to strength there are many people we need to thank for helping this and none more than the customers, who have supported the shop from it's humble beginnings in the porta cabin at the village hall to our state of the art Shop and Post Office. Historically seaside towns and villages have relied on summer holidaymakers to boost the economy and therefore, allow the businesses survive the long winters. Well thanks to local residents loyal support, volunteering and buying their messages in the shop the future is looking bright. Of course we do look forward to welcoming visitors returning over the coming year. We appreciate your custom too. There will be plenty of buckets and spades and ice creams when the summer comes.

Shop Reflection and Appreciation Message (08/08/21)

Dear Carradale Community,

We would like to take this opportunity to reflect and appreciate how things have progressed since opening the shop at the start of June. It wasn't just the move from the temporary shop that proved to be challenging: the admin and day to day running of our brand new shop meant that occasional disruptions and teething problems have, of course occurred. In addition, the shop opened at the start of the summer season, when demands on the local community are at their highest.

We want to commend the staff, the volunteers and the local community for meeting these challenges face on. Their dedication to making this shop work in invaluable.

After studying sales figures, noting the extended range of products, by a third so far, and that we have a gorgeous place in which to shop, it's safe to say , the shop is going from strength to strength. While the stock flies off the shelves and the deliveries come rolling in, all in inevitable admin is expertly handled by our shop manager Tracey.

I 'm sure we're all in agreement, the convenience of visiting the post office and shop in the same location is very handy. A lot of thanks should be given to Mary, for her patience during the move and her dedication since.

It can't be stressed enough, that none of this was possible. nor can continue without the help, support and commitment from our volunteers. whether it is serving on the till, collecting orders, stocking shelves, cleaning or all the other countless things they do, We hope they realise the effort is so appreciated by all, from customers, through to management and the whole community.

Kind Regards, Carradale Community Shop

Thank You (18/06/21)

Thanks to everyone who has visited the new shop over the last couple of weeks. Your support and encouragement during the transition, while we get to grips with expanded services and technology is very much appreciated. Shelves are being filled with new products and fresh fruit and veg are flying off the very trendy display unit. Being able to walk round and view the shelves while shopping is such a pleasure.

Shop Update (07/06/21)

We are delighted to welcome Tracey Muscroft to the position of Shop Manager. The shop management team and volunteers look forward to working alongside Tracey while continuing to develop the range of services to our community. We are also delighted that Mary continues to cheer us up with her smile in the Post Office.

Tomorrow the new shop opens and we look forward to welcoming everyone. The shelves have lots of goodies and over the next few weeks new items will fill up any of gaps on our smart new shelving. Good news there is a delivery of fresh fruit and vegetables due on Thursday.

The move last Saturday went smoothly and we sincerely hope this will continue, but if we do have some hiccups please bear with us. The management committee and volunteers greatly appreciate the support and encouragement from the community from the minute the Temporary Shop opened and especially as this move became reality. This shop belongs to all of us. You made it happen.

After this opening hours will be Monday to Saturday 9am to 4pm.

Although we are all delighted to move from temporary to permanent, the wee cabin by the village hall has become a special place for all of us, during the last couple of years. It has been packed with so much, it could almost supply most of our household needs. Many volunteers have played their part in making this possible but 2 people have gone more than an extra mile or a Carradale Canter in their volunteering. In fact they are marathon Gold medalists. Liz.and Ian McGhie. A Massive Thank You to you both. Enjoy some well deserved time in your garden, playing golf and sailing. Keep an eye on the Facebook page for updates.

Carradale Community Shop & Post Office (30/05/21)

Things are moving in the right direction and the interior of the new shop is taking shape. The new freezers have finally arrived. The shelves look pretty spacious and all the painting, flooring and lighting is complete. Plans are well underway organising the move from temporary to permanent shop in early June, in a manner which hopefully will involve as little disruption as possible for our customers.

The support and encouragement from the village has been tremendous. When this new shop opens it's doors, and you go in for the first time, remember that all you see has come about because you have been part of making it a reality. Carradale has always been a welcoming village with great community spirit. Over the years many changes have taken place but people have moved with the times and have recognised and embraced these changes. It is right that we remember with fondness the history of the village, but support building a sustainable future for the next generation. Keep an eye on the Facebook page for updates.

Carradale Community Shop Manager Appointed (04/02/21)

We are very pleased to announce that Tracey Muscroft will be our shop manager starting in June.

New Job Opportunity - Manager, Carradale Community Shop (28/05/21)

Our community is looking for an ambitious manager to create a friendly, welcoming, customer-focused environment at our newly refurbished and expanded community shop in Carradale, the only grocery store in East Kintyre. Vacancy Details Closing date: Monday 12th April 2021

We Need You! (11/02/21)

It really is happening! "The Carradale Community Shop & Post Office" is ours and we will soon begin a comprehensive refurbishment and refit. We will start planning for the transition from our Temporary Shop - and are going to need your help! (Or to continue to need your help for those of you who are already involved in running the Temporary Shop).

We need people to:

• Become a member of the Management Committee to help a Manager run the shop. Carradale Community Trust plans for the Management Committee to run the shop for about two years, and we will use funds from the Robertson Trust to pay our Manager. After two years, the Management Committee will recommend to either carry on as a community run shop or to pursue another model*.

• Join our bank of volunteers supporting the running of the shop in a wide range of capacities, both customer facing and behind the scenes. This might include serving customers, stocking shelves, cleaning, helping with deliveries, checking inventories and dates, posting on facebook and other social media, etc*. We are also going to need lots of people to help in aspects of the refit and in the move from the Temporary Shop!

• Give us advice, support or publicity

• If you can help us in any way at all - or know anyone who could - please get in touch with me Jenn Lee.

CCT Buy Village Post Office (09/02/21)

Carradale Community Trust is extremely pleased to announce the purchase of the Carradale Post Office. CCT will be launching the Carradale Community Shop & Post Office after a full refurbishment is completed - watch this space! East Kintyre will soon have a permanent shop!

Our community would like to thank everyone who has worked so very hard in making this happen. We would not be celebrating without the generous support of funders, including: the Scottish Land Fund, MOWI, Fern Community Funds, Abbeyfield Trust, East Kintyre Wind Farm Trust, The National Lottery and The Robertson Trust.

Likewise, we are extremely grateful to the magnificent volunteer Manager, staff and supporters of the Temporary Shop, who have kept the community fully supplied during this hugely trying time, and have been a reservoir of hope for the future. Thanks also are owed to members of the Carradale Community Trust and East Kintyre Community Council, who have persevered in securing a permanent shop, drafting plans for a refurbishment, and delivering the first local development priority of East Kintyre.

Finally, all of us are enormously grateful to Kenny & Mary Semple, who stepped in when our initial plans fell through, generously offered the Post Office as a location for our shop, and will be joining us in the creation of the Carradale Community Shop & Post Office.

Congratulations Ian (03/11/20)

Our very own Ian McGhie, manager of the Carradale Temporary Shop is named as one of Scotland's High Street Heroes. Ian has been a stalwart throughout this year voluntarily managing the village shop which has been such a huge asset to the community at this time. Well done Ian and very well deserved.

CCT Newsletter (08/09/20)

The October 2020 CCT Newsletter sets out our future plans for a permanent village shop in Carradale.

The Village Shop: A message from Carradale Community Trust (30/09/20)

CCT is extremely disappointed the sale of the shop to the community will not now go ahead. We are grateful to Scottish Land Fund, the grant providers for the planned refurbishment (The East Kintyre Wind Farm Trust, The Abbeyfield Trust, MOWI, Cour Fund and the National Lottery), INCH, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, as well as all of those who have generously given their time and effort in making our bids a success. Whilst we wanted to put the shop back at the heart of the community, we are now pursuing our other options to fulfil our promise to return a permanent shop to East Kintyre.

Permanent Shop Funding Success (17/09/2020)

We are excited to report that Carradale Community Trust (CCT) has been awarded the funds to purchase Paterson’s Bakery & Village Stores, which has been closed since 2018, and re-open it as a retail, social and information hub. Thanks to the generous support of Scottish Land Fund, CCT are delighted that East Kintyre will once again have a permanent shop. Our wonderful Temporary Shop has been a lifeline - and has taught us so much - but volunteers and customers cannot wait to have Paterson’s back at the heart of our community!

Carradale Community Trust Report - Temporary Shop (06/08/20)

The Carradale Temporary Shop (CTS) has had a very good year. At the start of the year, we introduced a card reader to allow us to take card payments and this quickly proved to be a success. Since the lockdown, it has proved invaluable, with card payments regularly exceeding 50% of the takings.

When the lockdown kicked in, the CTS came into its own, providing a vital lifeline not only for the elderly and vulnerable but also for the whole community.

We not only wish to thank them for their support but also the band of volunteers, past and present, for making the shop such a success.

Thanks to a grant from a Highlands and Islands Covid-19 Emergency Resilience Fund, we now have a new, much larger display fridge, and a new upright display freezer. This meant we could increase our stock levels, with the goods inside more easily viewed.

We are now registered and licenced to sell tobacco products; this has proved to be even more successful than expected.

The latest improvement has been the introduction of a new Epos system to replace the old till. This is not only easier for our volunteer staff to use but also automatically updates our inventory. This means better control of stock levels and easier ordering of products.

We are continuously reviewing our stock, replacing slow-moving items with more popular or requested products, and hope to continue to provide a much-needed service to the village.

Carradale Community Trust - Permanent Shop Funding Report (06/08/20)

Following receipt of Stage 1 funding from the Scottish Land Fund we commissioned an updated survey and valuation of Paterson’s Bakery and the land behind. This enabled us to submit a formal written offer to Angela Arkell, conditional upon our obtaining funds from SLF to purchase the property and complete the required repairs and refurbishment.

We also obtained funds from the Windfarm Trust to instruct a firm of professionals in Glasgow (INCH) to prepare a Business Plan (BP) combined with architectural drawings showing our proposals for the property: Phase 1 to do essential repairs, refurbish and re-open and Phase 2 to show further proposals for improvement and development in the future.

The BP, with drawings, was submitted to SLF in June for a Stage 2 application which, if successful, will provide funds for the purchase. We expect to hear by the end of August.

We have the promise of substantial funds towards the cost of repairs and refurbishment, so if we get the SLF funds we are confident, in the not too distant future, we will again have a permanent (and refurbished) shop in the village.

Background

Paterson’s Bakery had been at the heart of Carradale for longer than most residents can remember, so the revelation in 2018 that it was to close came as a shock to everyone. This would mean more than the loss of a retail outlet. Paterson’s had always been the village’s social hub: a place to stop and chat with friends and neighbours and catch up on what was happening locally and beyond. At the news of the impending closure, residents were galvanised into action. At a packed public meeting in the village hall in June 2018 the Chairs of Carradale Community Trust (CCT) and East Kintyre Community Council spoke of efforts already under way to keep the shop on as a going concern. CCT took the lead by exploring ways the premises might be purchased as a community asset . . . however by August the inevitable happened and the shop finally closed its doors. Thankfully, this is not the end of the story.

CCT began exploring alternative options and by October 2018 a business plan had been prepared. The lead for this was almost entirely down to the efforts of trustees David and Lesley Prag, who led the Temporary Shop Group. By January 2019 they had gained the agreement of CCT and the Village Hall, as well as securing financial backing from the Wind Farm Trust and the local salmon farm owners, to set up a temporary store. In March 2019 the village took delivery of a ready-made portable cabin, which was placed beside the hall. With power connected and stock on the shelves, the Temporary Shop opened for business in early April 2019.

Temporary Shop Memories