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PLEASE SIGN OUR PETITION

Six years ago, Brent Knoll lost it’s village shop and Post Office. Since then, we have succeeded in delivering a thriving volunteer-run Community Shop, but we have not yet been able to restore Post Office services – and have seen the loss of a crucial post box outside the old village shop.

The Government is conducting a national public consultation on the provision of rural Post Office services, which we support: and our Parish Council has been lobbying Royal Mail to install a replacement post box outside the new Community Shop – which we also support.

Will you give these issues YOUR support?

From 1st March, the following petition will be held in the Community Shop: please call in and sign it.  Thank you for your support.

PETITION:

We, the undersigned, urge Royal Mail to install a post box outside the Brent Knoll Community Shop (replacing the now lost post box that was outside the now closed village shop), AND urge the Post Office to enable Brent Knoll Community Shop to restore services lost when the Brent Knoll Post Office was closed.

COMMUNITY SHOP SHAREHOLDERS LEARN THAT MEMBER FUNDS HAVE HAVE RISEN BY £57,000.

The 2026 Annual Members' Meeting for shareholders will be held at the Parish Hall at 6.30 for 7pm on 30th July.

Last year's Annual Members' Meeting, held on 30th July 2025, were given a detailed financial update by our Treasurer, Bob Smith.. 

Sales and trading profits were increased since moving into the new shop, despite the massive energy price increase.

Explaining the balance sheet, Bob highlighted the figures for cash, fixed assets, and member funds, all of which were in fine fettle.  Member funds, for example had risen from zero, more than five years ago, to more than £82,000.

The 31 members attending voted unanimously to:

- Disapply the appointment of an auditor for accounts to 31st January 2025;

- Approve the appointment of a qualified auditor's report;

- Not to approve or apply interest at this time.

If you are already one of our 160+  shareholding members,  we hope that you'll join our operations by picking up a volunteer form in the shop.  If you're not yet a share-holder, we very much hope that you'll become a member by picking up an application form in the shop or clicking on the share-issue page on this website.

Volunteering is a wonderful way of making more of your life and more of your engagement in our community.

We don't just need volunteers to serve at the till:  if you could spare an hour or two to check on use-by dates or help with weekly orders to our suppliers, that would make a massive difference,

THE NEW SHOP IS A SUCCESS!

The new shop-shell is complete, and we've been trading in the new building for more than a year.

We've paid the more than £66,000 cost of converting that bare shell into a fully equipped shop with money we've raised from share-sales, grants, and trading profits.

That means that we have had to reduce our working capital reserves, but trading in the new shop has seen an increase in sales of about 20%.

If you are not yet a shareholder, please go to the share-issue page on this website to apply - or pick up a share-application form in the shop,

Meanwhile, the shop continues to trade at a profit - wholly due to our wonderful volunteers - and provide a vital community service to the village, including the monthly "Sausage Sizzler" events on the last Saturday of every month (10am to 12 noon).

The Community Shop’s greatest need, however, is for more volunteers to join our team. This will enable us to expand our opening hours. We need people who can spare an hour or two in the afternoons on Mondays, Tuesdays, or Wednesdays: full training will be provided..

We also need volunteers who’re happy to spend the odd hour in checking the “best-before” dates on the items on our shelves. There is no better way of becoming part of the community.