Cornwall Rural Community Council

Village shops in Cornwall are set to benefit from a new programme specifically designed to provide business advice and training support tailored to their needs.

Store is the Core is a new advisory programme which will support village retailers across the South West. The programme is inviting retailers to sign up for one-to-one advice and training from specialist advisers and mentors.

Advice and support will be delivered by officers from CRCC who have knowledge of both the private and community village shops sectors as well as information on grant funding opportunities that may be available to any retailers who are looking to make improvements to their store and help secure their future sustainability.

The programme as whole which is  managed by Community First in Wiltshire and funded by the Rural Development Fund for England (RDPE) to support 150 village shops over the next 18 months (from Aug 2011 to Feb 2013) across the South West region. This programme follows a highly successful pilot which ran during 2008.

Store is the Core will support independent shopkeepers across the whole region through Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire B&NES and Gloucestershire.  Support will includea combination of expert retail/ business advice and training plus a local mentor to help shops engage better with their community and support in accessing any potential *grant opportunities that may be available locally. This effective combination of support seeks to address the significant decline in retail outlets and Post Offices in rural areas. It is believed that by supporting village shops it can help ensure access to vital services and help maintain avibrant and sustainable future for our rural communities.

Store is the Core will support village and community retailers within a set criteria designed to ensure that shops most in need of help or shops that operate in particularly isolated communities are supported. If you are a village retailer in the South West or indeed a resident that would like to see your local shop supported please go to www.communityfirst.org.uk (http://www NULL.communityfirst NULL.org NULL.uk/) or contact CRCC on 01872 273952.

* For clarification, direct access to funding is not available through this programme. Mentors will only be able to provide funding advice.