Extract from the Mid Devon Advertiser: Friday 2 August 2013 Villagers in Ilsington have celebrated the first year of their community shop where trading has exceeded all expectations. The community lost its commercially operated store four years ago, prompting residents to take matters into their own hands. They set about raising £250,000 to upgrade the village hall, creating a meeting room and retail space. It had been hoped that by the end of the first year the business would have taken £110,000. Instead the final figure is closer to £170,000 and chairman Alan Hobbs could not be more pleased. "It's brilliant," he said. "We've been really well supported by the community, that's partly because we're in a great location where we get mums coming out from pre-school and children from the primary school. It's not just a shop but a meeting place where people stop for a chat and to catch up on the gossip." Mr Hobbs said with an eight-strong committee, one part time manager and 50 volunteers, the results were a credit to the whole village. Future plans include an outdoor seating area where customers can enjoy tea and coffee to further strengthen the shop's appeal. "We've already noticed that some people are now changing their shopping habits and rather than going into Newton Abbot once a week for a supermarket, are visiting us every day," said Mr Hobbs. "It was quite an expensive project to convert the village hall but clearly worth it." "We didn't realise just how hard it would be to run a shop though, whether it's ordering stock, changing what we sell at different times of the year or doing the accounts. It's been a steep learning curve and we've a lot of people to thank for where we are today, it's been a good journey."

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