Wrabness Community Shop is Born
When the Wrabness sub-post office closed in 2008, the village shop (owned by Trevor Harvey), was no longer financial viable.
The village realised that unless the community took swift action, it would soon have no shop at all, and that the village would lose its heart and become a dormitory rather than a community.
The villagers organised a meeting in the village hall which was crammed with local people. They voted unanimously to create a community shop.
Resident Tony Elliston and his partner Janet Higgins plus a group of villagers, supported by beach-hut and caravan owners, started the process that would eventually enable them to buy a bungalow and former shop on the corner of Black Boy Lane, called Presley.
Trevor kindly said that as a temporary measure, the community shop could use his old premises as a community shop in return for a small rent.
Wrabness Community Shop Limited
In 2011 the Wrabness Community Shop Limited was formed and registered as a limited company and Provident Society (which converted to a Community Society in 2016).
Initial members were Ann and Gerald Rouse, Martin Pearce, Doreen and Alf Layzell, Bev Griggs, Jill and Duncan Ritchie, the Levine family, Julia Prigg, John Hill, Nick and Berni Pullen, Martin and Susan Spurr.
By the end of 2011, the Society had 108 members and a management committee was formed.
Saturday 9 April 2011 - Wrabness Community Shop opens
The Community Shop opened temporarily in Trevor’s old shop - with much enthusiasm, balloons and a party outside - see photos below. Alice Cole took on the job of shop manager working 15 hours a week with a large group of enthusiastic volunteers.
Alice says “Trevor was enormously helpful, passing on his expertise. In those early days he was my ‘go-to man’ – for example he went through all the ordering with me and advised me on mark ups and if I got stuck, I only had to call him.”
Janni Weatherley (who had been a volunteer working in the shop) took over from Alice as manager in December 2011. Alice showed Janni the ropes and to start with they visited Bookers to choose and purchase stock together.
Fund-raising for new shop premises in Black Boy Lane
The shop needed to find a new home because at some point Trevor Harvey would want his house back. Several options were considered including a portacabin behind the village hall and a site at Wrabness station. However, the former shop on the corner of Black Boy Lane (which in the 1980s had become a residential bungalow and named Presley by its owner) came onto the market. Although some grant funding was made available by Essex County Council, it was nothing like enough to buy Presley and convert it into a shop – funds had to be raised.
2012
A successful grant application was made to the Rural Community Council of Essex which was matched by Essex County Council’s Enterprise Fund.
Money also arrived from various sources – shares, gifts, fund-raising events with local people putting in anything between £45 and £1,000.
By the end of 2012, the society had 122 members and had raised enough money to secure a mortgage on the full purchase price of Presley.
With the Community Shop operating out of Trevor’s old shop, business was brisk. To help manage the increasing work-load, Alice Cole temporarily re-joined Janni Weatherley as joint manager.
2013
The society had 160 members and together with grants, donations and shares, this meant enough money had been raised to start the transformation of ‘Presley’ from private dwelling into a shop and bar.
In July the Management Board was elected and comprised Tony Elliston (lead), Kati Vardon (PR/marketing, branding and the launch event), Barry Eves, Jo Thornicroft and Martin Pearce. Janet Higgins was later co-opted to the Board for a year. Barry Eves left the Board at some time during 2013.
The premises were licensed with Kevin Thornicroft and Kati Vardon gaining Personal Licences and Kati becoming the Designated Premises Supervisor.
Local businesses donated stock, advertising, money, time and advice .
Local people helped with refurbishing what had been a dwelling into a shop for example:- knocking down some internal structures, installing doors/windows, plastering, brick-laying, painting, plumbing, lighting, designing/erecting signage, making/erecting shelves, transporting goods, stacking shelves and much cleaning.
