Little Plumstead Community Shop & Café wins grant and prepares for the community share issue.

Power to Change, the independent Trust supporting community business in England, has awarded a £15,000 ‘Bright Ideas’ grant to Little Plumstead Community Shop. This will fund the preparation of a planning application and tender documents to construct the new shop and café.

A site has already been identified, within the former walled garden on the Little Plumstead Hospital site. The project has already won the support of the Parish and Broadland Councils, The Hertfordshire Partnership Foundation Trust and the Post Office, who have agreed to fund a ‘local Post Office’ within the new shop.

‘We’ve been working on this for more than a year, ‘explained project Chairman Adrian Nagle, ‘and now everything is coming together ready for our community share issue which launches on Norfolk Day, 27th July.’

Villagers have set up a community benefit society to operate the shop and café and restore the walled garden. As well as help from Power to Change the group have also had the support of the Plunkett Foundation who support a network of more than 300 community-owned shops.

With more than 300 new homes being built on the former hospital site and the no other shop nearby, the team are confident the venture will be profitable. If all goes according to plan, the shop could open for businesses in time for Norfolk Day 2019.