Protecting the services that matter most

Our 2026 Impact Report estimates that, in 2025 alone, around 300 village shops and 200 pubs closed. When essential services are lost, people can find themselves cut off from vital supplies, support networks and social connections.

However, community-owned businesses are reversing this trend! They act as multi-service hubs that proactively support local people and respond to community need.

Typically serving around 500 residents directly, while also reaching a further 2,000 people in surrounding areas, rural community businesses now benefit an estimated 2.2 million people.

The Rising Sun in Woodcroft was recognised with the Connecting the Community Award because of the incredible role it plays in local life.

At the heart of its community work is the 4Cs Group: Company, Chat, Cake and Coffee. Meeting on the last Thursday of every month, the initiative was established to tackle social isolation and create a welcoming space for local people to connect. Today, it attracts between 40 and 50 attendees at each session and has even reunited friends who had not seen each other in more than 50 years.

The pub’s weekly quiz has raised more than £5,000 for local charities, while additional services such as Information First Aid support and community CPR training demonstrate its commitment to helping local people beyond food and drink.

These initiatives work hand in hand with a successful hospitality offer, and the results speak for themselves. Footfall has increased by 20% over the past year, strengthening the business while reinforcing its place at the centre of community life.

The 4Cs cafe!

In 2019, Earlams was awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service!

Since opening in 2014, Earlams Community Store has continually evolved to meet local needs – it combines a shop, gallery and café, creating multiple opportunities for residents and visitors to connect.

The gallery provides a valuable route to market for local amateur artists and craftspeople, showcasing the work of more than 100 exhibitors. The café offers a welcoming place to meet and socialise, while a large wooden cabin provides a comfortable warm space throughout the winter months.

Earlams also works closely with HMP Styal, providing an outlet for products created through the prison’s craft and kitchen garden programmes and supporting individuals as they transition back into the community following release.
Partnerships with the Down’s Syndrome Association provide meaningful work placements, while residents from local care homes contribute as both customers and volunteers.

Earlams demonstrates why safeguarding a community shop is about far more than protecting access to everyday essentials. It is about creating opportunities, strengthening social connections and providing a welcoming space where everyone can belong.

Behind every successful community business is a group of local people determined to make a difference. Supporting those groups every step of the way is where Plunkett comes in.

We are proud to be the only organisation dedicated to supporting rural community-owned businesses across the UK. Last year alone, our support helped 34 new community-owned businesses open their doors, and today we are working with more than 1,000 communities that are exploring ways to save or establish a community business.

Our support extends beyond individual projects too – we provide training, events and resources that help communities succeed long after opening.

In 2025 alone, we delivered 50 training events and webinars, benefiting almost 1,600 attendees. One example was a webinar on expanding essential services – delivered alongside Flo’s The Place in the Park, a community-owned business in Oxford. Attendees heard practical ideas about expanding services, strengthening local infrastructure and embedding social impact into business plans, providing inspiration they could take back to their own communities.