Yarpole parishioners are planning a weekend of celebrations on January 16 and 17 to mark the opening of a community shop within the village church.
“We had a shop in a temporary building in the pub car park but it has come to the end of its life and we needed to think what we could do,” said Andrew Thompson, chair of the village working group.
He added: “Some of us were also wondering how we might maintain and make our local church fit for purpose in the 21st century. It was a eureka moment.”
It took the working party nearly five years to get the plans and the funding in place. St Leonard’s Church is a Grade I listed building so a range of heritage organisations had to be consulted.
The plans had to be approved via the Diocese of Hereford’s planning process and the working group also had to ensure it had everyone in place to run the shop once it relocated.
“We have always tried to sell local produce and that is going to continue, so we thought the official opening should be a food weekend,” said Andrew. “We’re putting a marquee up on our newly paved area between the church and the bell tower and local producers are all booked in. We already had a shop in place but we had to negotiate a licence with the church to ensure a proper legal framework. Now we have moved everything in and it’s brilliant.”
The weekend of events will see the detached bell tower, one of the largest in the county, transformed into a bar and a marquee full of local food producers offering their wares for taste and sale.
There will be a chance to look around the newly created space within the historic building and an opportunity to pop in to the local shop. The weekend also includes a music programme, local Morris dancers and a ceilidh in the nave of the church on the Saturday evening.
A special service on Sunday will start at the pub with a tractor and trailer taking people to the church to welcome the Bishop of Hereford.
“We have created an amazing new centre to the village ensuring the future of church and shop, essential in keeping a village alive,” said Andrew.
“We hope that when people see the space available they will start using it creatively, perhaps for art exhibitions, craft shows, meetings, music events and anything else that people can think of.
“We are really proud of what we have achieved and hope that other churches and communities can learn from what we have done.”