Farron welcomes Witherslack Community Shop progress

3.00.00pm UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 18th Jun 2008

Local MP Tim Farron has welcomed the progress made towards establishing a Witherslack Community Shop. Witherslack has been without a local shop since the closure of their Post Office two years ago, and have now been offered a temporary site adjacent to the local pub, the Derby Arms, until a permanent location can be agreed with the Witherslack Community Land Trust, which owns the site.

Commenting, Mr Farron said:

"This is a great step forwards for the people of Witherslack and a fantastic example of what can be done by local communities. The committee behind the shop has worked incredibly hard for this and has raised thousands of pounds towards a cause which will make a great difference to local people. I think we can all agree that we would also rather see local people's hard earned money going back into the local economy rather than being soaked up by distant supermarkets! The benefits of the community shop are manifold, including easy access for local people, a boost for the local economy and also a positive affect on the environment, due to reducing the need to travel.

"The Witherslack Community Shop Committee have done a great job so far; hopefully a permanent location for the shop is not far away, which would be just reward for their efforts. In a week when there is disappointing news about some of our post offices, it is refreshing to see a community fighting back and winning better services."