AFTER almost six years with a shop, a Thurrock village is about to open its new community store!

On 8, July 2014, the village shop in Bulphan closed unexpectedly.

A public meeting was soon organised and various options were considered, including buying the shop and running it as a community shop; putting a Portakabin in the village hall car park, with volunteers manning it or organising a mobile shop

While these options were all being researched, the whole village was stunned to receive an offer from an anonymous benefactor to donate enough money to build a new shop. A couple of sites were considered and the decision was taken to build an annex onto the village hall, to be the new shop.

The benefactor put in some some conditions: the trustees of the village hall must hold the freehold of the hall, or a lease of at least 99 years at a peppercorn rent; the profit from the shop must be distributed to local voluntary organisations; and his identity must remain anonymous in perpetuity.

After years of negotiation with Thurrock Council, all conditions were met and the build started at the beginning of October 2019. In the meantime, in order to meet the considerable costs of legal fees, planning fees, other professional fees and VAT (which weren't covered by the benefactor's donation), grants were applied for, fund-raising events were held, individuals and village organisations made donations and three villagers provided loans. The hall committee took on the daunting task of registering the shop premises for VAT.

It was agreed that the villagers did not have the capacity to run the shop theirselves, so a couple who were experienced shopkeepers, with two shops in the area already were granted the lease to run the shop.

And at 5pm on Friday 27 March 2020, the shop will finally open: and if ever a village needed a shop, it is now as the coronavirus curtails travel.

The opening ceremony will be carried out by Colin Pankhurst, who was the third party liaising between the anonymous benefactor and the village. Trustees of the village hall will be represented by Janet McCheyne and a plaque on the outside of the shop shows all those who contributed towards making the shop happen.

The new shopkeepers are Fathima and Vichu, who run the Herongate Stores and Costcutters in Running Waters, Hutton. Bulphan's shop is under the Premier franchise, with an off-licence.

The Lottery will be added very soon, and the Outreach Post Office, currently in the village hall, will in time transfer to the shop and be available all the hours the shop is open (7am - 9pm, every day).

Fathima and Vichu have attended Forum meetings and the Community Cafe in Bulphan and are looking forward to providing services to the people of Bulphan.