A PARALYMPIAN heading to Rio this summer is making a stop in Hawkesbury this weekend to officially open the village’s new community-owned shop.

Team GB seven-a-side footballer James Blackwell, who grew up in Hawkesbury, will cut the ribbon to Hawkesbury Stores kickstarting a morning of celebrations this Saturday, July 23 (10.30am-12noon).

The shop, which will sell essential groceries and provide various services, has been funded by members of the community who rallied together after the existing village shop faced closing down.

Earlier this year, the Save Our Shop campaign was launched and raised more than £160,000 in finance through share purchases from more than half of households in the parish.

Alan Hemingway, chairman of Hawkesbury Stores Management Group, said: “Hawkesbury proved that strong communities can do amazing things.

“We harnessed the expertise, passion and determination of local volunteers, and in six months’ of hard work we secured a vital village asset for our 500 households, and a lifeline of supplies and social interaction for the elderly residents in our rural village.”

The Stores will be run with a mix of paid staff and volunteers, and overseen by a management group of local people. New products and services have already been brought in, and the team is applying for grant funding to proceed with refurbishment and development of the Stores.

The grand opening will celebrate the community effort to save the shop and will include free tasters of products from local suppliers, facepainting, a prize draw and a children’s colouring competition.

James, 30, was invited to officially open the Stores in recognition of his achievement being selected for ParalympicsGB football 7-a-side team.

James, who has cerebral palsy, competed in the 2015 Cerebral Palsy Football World Championships but then broke his neck while playing for Kingswood AFC last August. Unsure whether he would ever play again, the sports star has made a remarkable recovery and is now preparing for the Paralympics in Rio this September.