PLANS to create a community shop in Brent Knoll have moved a step closer thanks to the hard work of volunteers.

Volunteers at Brent Knoll Emergency Shop are celebrating after discovering that their shop had been registered as a Community Benefit Society with the Financial Conduct Authority.

The news came after Wells MP James Heappey visited the shop more than a month after he provided an online opening ceremony for the shop.

On Saturday (June 27) the shop hosted a speciality coffee and cake event which more than 70 people attended.

The event raised £180 towards creating the community shop in Brent Knoll.

David Sturgess, a member of the shop’s Steering Group: “This has been a great weekend for our aim of delivering what our community consultation project revealed, the wish for a permanent community shop and the potential to restore our closed Post Office.

“We could not have achieved the opening of an emergency shop within ten days, nor the success of that shop, without the tireless input of our team of energetic volunteers.

“We’ve now consulted the community on what they want, so we’ll be looking at increasing our opening hours”, he added.

The Brent Knoll Emergency Shop was created in just 10 days and the shop’s volunteers have achieved sales of more than £6,000 for their first month, generating a profit of £700.

The project was quick to win the support of the Plunkett Foundation, a national charity which has helped more than 300 rural community shops to thrive.

“We’re now working with Plunkett towards our aim of a permanent community shop and a restoration of our village Post Office”, said Mr Sturgess.