A Centenarian re-opened a community shop near York which has been expanded and refurbished, securing its future.

The shop in the village of Huby, between York and Easingwold, staged a special ceremony earlier this month to mark the completion of the works.

The cutting of the ribbon was carried out by the shop’s oldest customer and one of the oldest residents in the village, Mrs Joan New, who is 100.

The revamped community shop, the only one in the village, also secures the future of the Post Office in the village in partnership with their parish council.

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More than 500 local people in Huby and Sutton came together in 2015 to save their village shop by forming a not-for-profit community shop run entirely by volunteers on behalf of the community. The small shop was rented on a 10-year lease initially.

Fast forward 9 years and the volunteer shop management committee encouraged Huby Parish Council to purchase the whole property and rent it to the community benefit society to ensure a long-term base for the shop and Post Office.

Chairman Denise Howard OBE said: “Our amazing volunteers keep our village shop open 7 days a week, and the trading surplus enables us to open our Post Office 6 days a week which we see as an essential community service for local people. We are growing village, and need local services that meet local needs.

York Press: The shop interior

“Working with funders such as Hambleton District Council, Huby WI, St Monicas, Bernard Sunley Foundation, Easingwold Lions alongside private donations and our reserves saved from the last 9 years of trading, we have been able to improve access and facilities for customers and volunteers by building an entirely new shop in an adjacent building, using local trades and builders.”

To emphasise the community focus of the shop, the formal opening was done by one of their oldest customers, Mrs Joan New, with the help of the Chairman of Huby Parish Council John Corden, and Denise Howard OBE, Chairman of Huby & Sutton Community Shop.

Mrs New said: “Everyone should support this local shop, it’s fantastic and the volunteers are so helpful.  As I’m not so mobile now I’m over 100, they help me with a weekly order and then deliver it to me."

York Press:

Chairman of Huby PC John Corden said: “The opening of the new shop is a tribute to the members of the shop management committee and the volunteers, who, with the help of the Parish Council, have worked tirelessly to bring this project to fruition, thus ensuring the facilities of the shop and post office are available to people in Huby and the local villages”.

The new shop in Main Street, Huby, was formally opened on February 2.