Longborough's newly refurbished village shop is unveiled after undergoing £60,000 facelift (From Cotswold Journal)

Longborough's newly refurbished village shop is unveiled after undergoing £60,000 facelift

2:11pm Monday 9th November 2009

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THE new-look Longborough Village shop and Cafe has been unveiled after undergoing a £60,000 face lift.

A ceremony was held at the village centre shop to mark the completion of the refurbishment, which took about a year.

The business’ future was threatened when Longborough Post Office, previously incorporated into the building, was among many rural post offices the Royal Mail closed in September 2008 to cut costs.

In a bid to save the business’ store element, villagers formed Longborough and Sezincote Village Shop Association, a not-for-profit organisation that ploughs all the money it raises back into the shop or the village.

The eight villagers on the association’s committee raised the £60,000 needed to finance the refurbishment by holding fundraising events and applying for grants.

They received a £20,000 grant from the Village Shops Association and a £3,000 grant from Gloucestershire Rural Community Council (GRCC).

The shop remained open throughout the refurbishment, which involved re-wiring the building and installing new windows, custom-built shelving, chillers, freezers, a new floor and new kitchen.

Also installed was a coffee shop, which opened about a fortnight ago.

Jo Williams, who recently moved from Moreton to Longborough, has been appointed manager.

The association and GRCC are now seeking funding to install green technology to make the shop carbon neutral.

Association chairman, Harry Taylor, said saving the shop represented another victory for the villagers who had also saved Longborough Church of England School and the village’s Coach and Horses pub from closure.

He said: “It’s the final piece of the jigsaw.

“We’ve fought three issues and we’ve won them all.

“We’re scrappers.

“What you’ve got to have is a lot of perseverance.

“There’s a lot of money out there but you’ve got to go and look for it.”

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