Our Story

Semley’s last village shop closed twenty years ago. It was much missed, so when we got the chance to take back part of the old shop in 2012, we grasped it.

Helped by the Plunkett Foundation’s step by step guide, a start-up committee launched an appeal for cash. We sold shares in the shop and with very generous local support and a loan from the Co-op bank, we set up as an industrial and provident society for the benefit of the community. We opened on 23rd April 2012.

Every year since then we’ve got better at what we do: more efficient, a wider range of stock, and better trained, more experienced volunteers. When Covid-19 struck we were able to adapt and expand so that we could meet the needs of a new and bigger customer base many of whom were unable or reluctant to go to the supermarket.

This is a team effort to which many people contribute. But our manager Lal takes much credit for continuing to keep everything heading in the right direction.