Community First has become a lead organisation in the support of village retailing and rural businesses in Wiltshire and Swindon and more recently across the South West region. The variety of work we now undertake has grown out of a dedicated programme which began in 2005 aimed at improving the viability of village retailers and businesses across Wiltshire. We now support a range of retailers, small businesses, social enterprises and communities throughout Wiltshire and Swindon. Social and community enterprise has become an increasingly important element of our work and we continue to help groups find solutions to replace services lost in our villages and neighbourhoods. As a result Wiltshire now has twelve volunteer run community shops and a variety of other rurally based social enterprises which have received advice and support from Community First.   

Please see below for a full range of activities the Rural Enterprise department is involved with.  

Village and Community Retailing                

Community First provides proactive and expert advice and support to both social enterprise community shop groups and independent village shop keepers. Helping retailers improve and sustain the viability of their shops and assisting communities develop new social enterprise shops and solutions for communities who have lost their local facilities. To discuss how we can help please contact Tim Coomer (details below).

Store is the Core

Community First is the lead partner in the successful regional Store is the Core programme. Store is the Core supported over 58 retailers across the South west region in its first year (2008/9) and was engaged in the set-up of 20 community shops. Grants totalling over £80,000 were awarded to retailers across the South West helping them become more viable for the future. It is anticipated the programme will be run again in 2010.  

Post Point – The ‘Alternative Post office Toolkit’

In a response to the closure of 2500 post offices across the UK in 2008 Community First developed the ‘Post Point’ concept and a toolkit designed to enable communities and retailers to set up an ‘Alternative Post Office’ (Post Point) solution; which will provide many of the services provided by former village Post Offices. The toolkit is a complete guide leading communities and retailers through several development stages – from finding out what the community needs and wants right through to launching the enterprise. If you live in the Salisbury Plain area your community may be eligible for support and equipment to set –up a Post point in your village. Please contact Tim Coomer (details below).

Taste Wiltshire - Local Food

The consultancy arm of Community First, CF Consultancy, which has undertaken a variety of assignments for third sector organisations, has recently completed research and developed a detailed business plan to establish a social enterprise local food distribution operation for Wiltshire. The aim is to improve the supply chain from smaller producers to retailers throughout Wiltshire and Swindon. The Rural Enterprise team are currently seeking funding to develop the proposal.

If you are a retailer looking for support or a community group looking to provide enterprising solutions for a lack of services in your village or community please contact Tim Coomer – Rural Enterprise Adviser.


A good practice guide to ‘Running a Village Shop 2008 and Beyond’ is available from the Store is the Core programme please contact Tim Coomer for a FREE copy.


Tim Coomer
Rural Enterprise Adviser
Email: tcoomer@communityfirst.org.uk


Follow this link to download the end of year progress report - October 2009. (PDF File - 300kb)