Progress by June 2010
Funding
The Committee spent considerable time last year preparing a comprehensive Business Plan for the shop, which we have just updated. It is an exercise well worth the trouble as we now have attracted significant funding on the basis of it, and are looking for more. So far we have received:
- Vital Villages: £5000
- Community Chest: £20,000
- Parish Council: £3000
- Plunkett Foundation: £20,000 + £20,000 loan
Building and planning
We now have formal planning permission to build the Shop in the Village Hall car park. The building we have selected will both look good and fit in well with the surrounding buildings, and will also improve the p[arking facilities at the Hall.
Legal structure
We have set up the business as an Industrial and Provident Society. This is a tried and tested democratic set-up that allows everyone in the village who supports our project to have a say in its running, and that locks the assets and profits of the business irrevocably into the interests of the North Marston community.