A CELEBRATORY reception has been held for the many volunteers whose contributions have underpinned the running of Roadwater’s village shop.

About 60 people attended the event in Roadwater Village Hall, for which catering was provided by Jen’s Pantry, with VIP guests the High Sheriff of Somerset Rob Beckley and Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Somerset Jennifer Duke.

Mr Beckley applauded all the volunteers who gave freely of their time and their commitment to the store and café at the heart of their community.

He said that without an army of volunteers, many village shops across the county would struggle to survive.

The Roadwater occasion illustrated the focus of the sheriff’s work during his tenure, which was to encourage greater participation in volunteering and community organisations.

Mr Beckley said: “The breadth and depth of charitable and volunteer work in Somerset is eye-opening and inspiring.

“Somerset stands out for its community initiatives, groups, and enterprises across all corners of the county.

“The self-reliant and independent spirit of Somerset volunteerism has been clearly demonstrated here.

“I applaud the many contributions of the Roadwater Shop volunteers who give freely of their time and their passion for this community asset.”

Mr Beckley’s sentiments were echoed by Mrs Duke, who is a former High Sheriff of Somerset and lives not far from Roadwater.

Roadwater Shop management committee chairman Bruce Freeman said: “I really cannot thank all our volunteers enough.

“This celebration is a small way to recognise their outsized contribution to our village shop and café.

“If it was not for our army of passionate volunteers who support our paid staff, we would not be able to provide this great service for our community, ensuring it remains viable and open.”

During the reception a floral bouquet and thank you card was presented to Sandy Towler in recognition of her outstanding contribution of time and talent to the shop and café.

Roadwater Shop provides a much-needed resource for the local community by offering a well-stocked grocery store, a cafe serving locally-made snacks, with coffee supplied by Brazier, in Wellington, and a Post Office where customers can complete many transactions, including simple banking.

Mr Freeman said residents considered it an important resource for the community and neighbouring villages, without which many people would struggle to purchase needed groceries without the hardship of travelling to the nearest mainstream grocery store in Minehead, which was about a 20 to 30-minute drive away.

As well as the store providing groceries, the coffee shop acted as a meeting point for local people and community groups.

However, many such village stores were facing hardship and were under the constant threat of closure.

Many of them would close immediately if it was not for the passionate volunteers who supported paid staff and gave freely of their time to ensure the valued community resources remained viable and open.

Roadwater’s community-run shop opened in 2019 after £230,000 was raised to fund renovations of the old building and to add the café and a community hub, and now has more than 300 local shareholders.