A GROUP of villagers in the Candover Valley have launched a share scheme to raise the funds needed to build a community store and post office in Preston Candover.

They are hoping that as many people as possible will snap up as many of the £20 shares as possible. This could mean that the convenience and community hub provided by a village shop can be maintained in their rural location. So far, over 1,500 shares have been bought and together with a number of donations from generous supporters, almost half the sum needed to build and set up the new store has been raised.

Richard Walker, who lives near Preston Candover, is heading up the fundraising drive, helped by seven other members of the the Candover Valley Community Store committee.

Richard said: “We are really pleased with how the appeal is going but we still need to get more people involved with the project either by buying shares, making a cash donation or by volunteering their time or expertise. Community stores are proven to succeed where other businesses struggle.

"As well as being extremely useful to local residents and reducing car journeys to local towns, they are places where people can meet and interact, reducing rural isolation. The existing shop is set to close and the new one, which will be larger and better sited in the centre of the village, will provide a vital service for people in the Candover Valley and the surrounding countryside.”

To find out more, visit candovervalleycommunitystore.org.uk or call Richard Walker on 01256 389238.