Community Initiatives
PARTNERSHIP FORMED TO HELP SAVE VILLAGE SHOPS
The Village Retail Services Association (ViRSA) and rural
regeneration charity the Plunkett Foundation have joined
forces under the umbrella of Plunkett's Rural Revival Campaign
to combine the specialist skills of ViRSA in rural community-backed
shops with Plunkett's 80 year experience in helping rural
communities to use co-operative approaches to improve their
livelihoods.
"Community and self-help enterprises are flourishing
in rural England but are still only succeeding in slowing
down the rate of social decline. By working together under
the Rural Revival campaign, both ViRSA and Plunkett can
achieve much more to promote and support this proven approach
to rural regeneration," said Plunkett's chief executive
Richard Moreton.
The Plunkett Foundation estimates that there are already
200 community-owned shops in the UK, many of which were
established with the assistance of ViRSA. Once village shops
come under community ownership, they rarely fail. However,
some 70% of Britain's rural settlements don't have a single
shop, so the potential and wider need of these initiatives
remains huge.
For more information please contact the Rural Revival campaign
manager, Charlotte Gilman on 01993 883636 or ViRSA director,
Peter Jones on 01305 259383.
