Hampshire’s rural champions!

Blog by Jo Dixon

I want to give a thumbs up for Hampshire’s village shops, post offices and community run shops. Some really wonderful people have been working hard to keep them open and their shelves well stocked at this time. They are supporting and protecting so many of us who are now having to “stay at home”. There are also numerous volunteers helping to deliver grocery boxes to those who are self – isolating or elderly. Some of these boxes are even finding their way to residents in other villages where there isn’t a local shop. So no need to sit up until midnight to try and book a slot for a supermarket delivery!

Community spirit and a can-do attitude are alive and well in Hampshire’s villages.

Taking a short break over the weekend from cleaning, gardening and catching up on the phone, I trawled through some Facebook pages and found many messages that show how much this effort is being appreciated. Here are just a few of them:

I wanted to share with you this fantastic response and incredible commitment from rural retailers, post office staff and local volunteers. In one village where the shop and post office was in danger of closing because the owners were self-isolating, 30 people volunteered for a rota to keep the shop open for a few hours each day and to continue the deliveries. These people have stepped up to support us. As life does return to some form of normality, we must play our part to sustain the village shop and post office and keep it open. After all, who knows what we may face in the future?

Working from home and living in lockdown, I know I will always get a warm welcome (and some friendly banter) when I pop down to Abbotts Ann Village Shop and Post Office (pause to give a shout out to the wonderful staff and volunteers there who are keeping it open!). Life would be more challenging, both physically and mentally, in this village if we didn’t have this facility at its heart.

Keep well, keep safe and keep supporting your village shop and post office.