Community

Our Shop (Houghton and Wyton Community Shop Ltd) is at the heart of the village – geographically and socially.  Our Shop is owned and managed by the community and as well as providing an excellent range of everyday and speciality products and services – many of them from local suppliers – Our Shop is a friendly place where villagers and visitors shop, meet and chat.

At the heart of village life

Our Shop is an integral part of the community, supporting village societies, clubs, the primary and pre-schools and the many visitors to our village. We support Feast Week in July with drinks, snacks and more for the busy week of activities and selling event tickets from the Post Office.  We support The Christmas Lights committee with bacon, baps, butter and more on ‘bacon butties’ fundraising mornings throughout the year and on the big night itself at the beginning of December.

We stock local publications and produce a calendar supporting village societies and groups – ideal gifts for relatives who may not be locals but love what we love about the village – the vibrancy of our village life and the beautiful nature and environment around us.

And our notice boards are always full of ads from locals buying, selling, promoting and sharing!

Volunteering

Our Shop has a team of over 50 people who volunteer in various roles, both in the shop and behind the scenes. Volunteering is integral to our Community Purpose and absolutely vital to the running of Our Shop.

Some of the volunteering roles include serving on the Management Committee, helping in shop with sorting newspapers, keeping the shelves tidy, working on the tills, cleaning and delivering to home-bound villagers.

If you’d like to volunteer with us just pop in and have a chat with one of the team or email us directly

Our Management Committee

Our Shop is managed by a Committee of up to 12 Volunteers drawn from the Membership. Each Committee Member can serve up to two terms of three years, standing for re-election at the Annual Members Meeting in April.

The current Chair is Ann Utley, who has served on the Committee for nearly 5 years. Anthony Garside is Vice Chair with responsibility for Premises and has served on the Committee during the transition from private ownership to Community Ownership, for almost six years.

Other Committee members include John Cassells (from 2023), Lesley Craig (from 2019), Claire Donlon (from 2022), Ken Edwards, Treasurer (from 2022), Andrew Latten (from 2023) and Alison Meadows, Secretary and DPO (from 2023).  Manager Ian Chapman also attends Committee meetings.

Community Fund

The Community Fund is a registered charity which receives money from Our Shop when we’re able, and sometimes from other donors such as the Houghton and Wyton Parish Council and private individuals.

The Fund is for the residents of Houghton and Wyton and people who are closely connected with the village and provides grants of money or items, services or facilities to villagers in need.

During the Pandemic the Community Fund proved to be a valuable lifeline for some of our most in-need villagers.

Get involved

Volunteering helps you connect with your community and helps make it a better place. Dedicating any amount of time, however small, as a volunteer with Our Shop can help you make new friends, expand your network and boost your social skills. Learn more about the benefits of volunteering

To volunteer in the shop, please contact our Volunteer Co-ordinator on volunteers@hwcommunityshop.org.

To join the Management Committee please contact our Membership Administrator on members@hwcommunityshop.org