The Future of Shopping

In a village which has cut it's carbon emissions by an average of 20% over the last 12 months you would hope the village shop would be valued as a community resource. Shopping locally can be a great way to save petrol and support the local economy.
Here in Ashton Hayes, we face changes in the way our village shop is run, the Post Mistress is "unable to operate both the Post Office and the shop" on her own * and has offered to work with the Parish Council to establish a community shop. A meeting has been organised and the whole village has been invited to listen to what's planned and to find out how we can all be involved.
Of course, we all like the idea of a village shop, but what is really needed right now is practical action. A commitment from residents that they will use the shop for more than just newspapers and cigarettes. For people like me who don't always have access to a car, the local shop is an essential service, over the past few months I've bought the usual - bread, milk, veg, eggs - and emergency items like icing sugar for my daughter's birthday cake. There has also been the odd mad dash just before closing on a Friday night when friends drop by and one of us cycles (or if it's me walks) down to the shop for a bottle of wine. Not to mention the regular Sunday morning trip for newspapers and bacon.
Of course, this kind of shopping can't sustain a business unless enough people use the shop on a regular basis. If the shop were to close then the only option would be to jump in the car and drive to Kelsall - only a couple of miles - but just a bit too far to walk when you run out of milk and the children are waiting for breakfast.
That's why I'm hoping the Ashton Hayes Going Carbon Neutral Project (a sub group of the Parish Council) will put all it's energies into the future survival of our local shop. Here is a great opportunity to showcase local producers of meat and cheese, to stock fruit from nearby orchards, sell local honey and apple juice while also providing the community with the everyday essentials we need on a regular basis.
We've recently been gathering data for the Parish Plan, which asked householders what kinds of services they want in Ashton Hayes, an ideal starting point for consultation and proof, if it were needed that a local shop is an essential service.
I only live 5 minutes from the shop, but no trip is ever that quick, I chat to my neighbours, admire colourful front gardens, pat dogs, smile at people looking out of their living room windows. It might sound idyllic, but think how isolating it could be if all that interaction was lost to be replaced by a 5 mile drive to the supermarket...not to mention the increase in the villages carbon emissions ...

(*Letter from the Parish Council delivered to local households)