Wigginton Community Shop celebrates first anniversary

The shop that has brought a community together

The award winning Wigginton Village Shop & Café has just celebrated its first anniversary after a year that has exceeded all expectations.

The shop and café, a Community Benefits Society, was established following a huge community effort that literally involved hundreds of people. The funds to build it were raised with a share offer that allowed people to buy a stake, as well as a number of grants including Dacorum Borough Council and Big Lottery.

Offering convenience as well as a shop window for tasty local produce and handcrafted goodies, the shop is mainly staffed by a team of very capable volunteers of all ages including Duke of Edinburgh.

Sally Clarke, manager of the Wigginton Shop & Café said: ‘Thank you to every single person who’s worked so hard to make the shop a success. And massive thanks goes to our wonderful volunteers, who’ve contributed over 9,000 volunteering hours in the first year since we opened our doors for the first time – here’s to the next year of even greater things!’

It has been a huge hit, attracting customers from near and far, and quickly established itself as a community hub in the village. The shop has hosted numerous community events including food and drink tastings by local producers, get togethers, and workshops that have tackled mental health and wellbeing.