23-July-2007 The Publican - A real one-stop shop
Punch lessees Wayne and Shirley Clayton put a disused shed to good use - by turning it into a much needed village shop for their Lincolnshire community
Anyone who pops in for a quick drink at the Cross Keys in Grasby, Lincolnshire, can now buy more than a pint and a packet of pork scratchings.
Punch lessees Wayne and Shirley Clayton have opened a village convenience store to sell fresh local produce and a wide range of groceries, toiletries and household items.
Trading seven days a week, the shop, which opened earlier this month, was created out of a disused outbuilding in the pub's car park.
With the help of Punch Taverns, Pub is the Hub - which campaigns for pubs to diversify into services for rural communities - and East Midlands Development Agency (EMDA), Wayne and Shirley have managed to create a one stop shop for the village's essential needs.
Local people can now just go down to the pub for provisions rather than have to travel several miles to the nearest supermarket.
"Since we took on the lease last April we've wanted to put something back into the area," explains Wayne. "We realised what the villagers really wanted was a local shop next to the pub to suit their everyday needs. We're the only pub and the only shop in the village and have had great support from the local community for this project, and we can support local farmers at the same time by selling their produce."
Through the Pub is the Hub scheme Wayne and Shirley were able to apply for a grant from the EMDA which provided £10,000 towards the overall £18,000 cost of the project.
It's the first time a Punch Taverns pub has been given this amount of money from a Regional Development Agency towards a project to help the local community.
"we believe the pub is an integral part of the local community and we support this through Pub is the Hub, which facilitates the survival of essential local services that otherwise would have closed in remote rural areas, such as post offices and small grocery stores," says Sean Gifford, Punch's business relationship manager.
"In this case, Wayne and Shirley recognised they could do something to change their local community for the better."
John Longden, Pub is the Hub's campaign director, said: "Wayne and Shirley provide a wonderful example of how hard-working licensees can support the wider needs of their community by providing much-needed items and produce, much of which is sourced locally.
"This is a lovely project which shows the ethos behind Pub is the Hub and is a testimony for the partnership between the licensees, the community, Punch Taverns and EMDA, who have all worked together to support the initiative."
"Services are not always easy to access in Grasby," adds Andrew Morgan, skills and communities director at the EMDA. "But now the Cross Keys provides a vital service to the local community and supports local farmers and producers too."
A real one stop shop.pdf