Beyond a service: More than just a business

As the last store in the village, Bathford Community Shop goes above and beyond for its 3,000 residents, by offering a wide range of products, supporting local businesses, and promoting eco-friendly practices.

The shop is a popular gathering place for local groups, hosting activities like the Crochet & Craft Group, Mahjong, Supper Club, and a monthly lunch buffet. It also serves as a Community Warm Space during winters, offering a warm place with free hot drinks and cake.

Additional services include newspaper home delivery, a shop-save service, dry cleaning, and clothes alterations. The shop supports local businesses through a local artists’ corner, featuring items like greeting cards, paintings, candles, and more.

Beyond typical offerings, the shop offers training and development to its group of over 60 volunteers, providing induction, task training, social events, and gratitude gifts. It also accommodates people with mental health issues, and young individuals.

One notable case involved an 18-year-old girl with autism, who over three months, worked twice a week for three hours each time. Initially, she was nervous, but through regular customer interactions and supportive conversations with volunteers, her confidence grew. By the end of the programme, she received a job offer as an apprentice child care worker, marking a significant transformation in her career.

In 2004, the remote community of Uig, on the West coast of the Hebridean Isle of Lewis, banded together to form a community cooperative, taking over the at-risk shop to preserve essential services such as food, fuel, and the post office, along with its vital social role.

Beyond maintaining essential services, the shop provides year-round local employment, helping sustain young families and keep them in the area. Over the 20 years, the shop has sold £12.4 million worth of goods and reinvested £1.6 million into the community through wages alone.

The shop plays a crucial role in facilitating local events, providing supplies for the annual Uig Gala Day, ceilidhs, meal nights at the community centre, and supporting local charities. Seasonal locally-grown produce is available, and helps locals distribute their annual soft fruit surpluses. Additionally, a free book and DVD exchange is offered, with donations supporting local charities such as the RNLI in Stornoway and Bethesda Hospice.

The post office’s ATM machine is invaluable during summer and the outdoor payment terminal provides 24/7 access to fuel, benefiting locals, tourists, and emergency services. The shop is committed to retaining vital post office services, offering extended hours beyond the contracted ones.

School and nursery children benefit from trips to the shop, learning about retail basics and post office operations. Last year, the children successfully ran a “Pop-up Shop,” selling homemade cakes and biscuits. Every year, the shop provides Christmas gifts to Uig’s school children, much appreciated by both children and parents.

The shop is a fine example of a hub that unites the community, as highlighted in their award nomination: “When a remote community has the resilience, imagination and courage to protect its own services, as well as the vision and determination to enhance its own future with its own resources, it makes you proud to be a part of it!”