Extract from the Mid Devon Advertiser Friday July 20 2012:

More than three years of fundraising paid off in Ilsington on Wednesday when villagers celebrated the opening of their new community shop. The original intention was only to provide an extension to the popular village hall, which is used by groups every day and was short on space. But when their shop went the way of so many others, residents decided to stretch themselves and add a store into the mix. That pushed the cost to £224,000 and a last minute hitch at Defra almost scuppered their chances.

Erica Williams, chairman of the community projects committee, said: “With the Village Hall Committee and the Shop Committee we’ve worked very hard together to make this happen. Defra granted us £179,000 but just as the award was about to be approved, cuts meant the decision had to be taken nationally, but thankfully we still got it.

Everyone has been working like Trojans to get the stock in and labelled and now it looks fantastic. We’re selling everything you’d want from a village shop at prices we think are fair, we’ve even got wine and local meat.

Because we are lucky enough to have had more than 50 people volunteer to work in the shop, together with the part time manager, we are hoping to open 8am to 7.30pm Monday to Saturday and half day on Sunday, too.

Even youngsters like my 15-year-old daughter Mikala have signed up and it’s funny because people who didn’t think they had missed the old shop now want to get involved because they realise the social role it played, too.

I can’t believe we’ve actually got here after so long, everyone’s really excited and it’s absolutely brilliant.”

Pupils from Ilsington Primary School sang to the crowds and the guest of honour, broadcaster Tony Beard, the Wag from Widecombe, performed the honours.

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