Other news: Britain's 200th Community-Owned Rural Shop opens for Business in Devon

Ide joins the growing number of rural communities throughout the country � eight in March and April alone � that are setting up their own shops to ensure that their communities have access to this most vital of rural services. The new shop is housed in a portakabin and will be run by a rota of more than 40 volunteers � enough to ensure that it�s open seven days a week. The shop opened following �15,000 being raised - �7,700 from within the village through a combination of shares in the shop, loans and donations �and advisory support by one of the Plunkett Foundation�s nine Community Retail Advisers who operate across the country. The sale of local produce is a strong features, including organic meat from West Town Farm (which is a mere 500 yards away), as well as fresh fruit and vegetables from Shillingford Organics on the outskirts of Exeter.

The shop will also stock locally produced dairy products and baked goods, and will be sourcing many more items from Own: Devon�s Online Supermarket. The Plunkett Foundation is working with dozens of rural communities that, like Ide, can�t envisage a future without a shop. The news of the 200th community-owned rural shop opening and the fact that several more shops are set to open over the coming months alone is a powerful demonstration of the very real need for these shops. It�s also an inspiring illustration of the extraordinary results that can be achieved when communities work together to help themselves.

� Plunkett Foundation