THE POPULAR community shop in Oldbury on Severn is celebrating a successful first year since opening in February last year.

The shop, run entirely by a dedicated team of volunteers, has proved to be successful within the community and from a financial point of view.

Run by the Oldbury Community Shop Group, Oldbury Village Community Shop has helped to bring the life and soul back to the community.

With a team of 55 volunteers helping to run the store, which sells everything from fresh bread and fish to homemade cakes, it is able to stay open seven days a week.

The store was funded mainly through grants including £42,000 from village SOS, a Big Lottery Fund initiative as well as £2,500 from the owners or Oldbury Power Station, Magnox.

The shop, however, is not just proving popular with the villagers but also from people who come from the surrounding towns and villages to use the facility who want to buy products that is not usually sold in supermarkets.

It is also a popular stop-off point for walkers and cyclists looking for a pit stop as they pass through.

So successful has the shop been that people are visiting the shop from across the country to see how it is run, to try and emulate its successes.

Chris Awde, vice chairman of Oldbury Community Shop Group said: “We use 40 local suppliers which it itself is fantastic in helping sustain the smaller businesses and new enterprises. The Latest addition is the locally produced honey from Oldbury.

“The volunteers have become one big family,” he added. “It's simply amazing how the Shop has brought people together in terms of making new friends this has led to social events in the village dramatically improving as most people now know everyone”

In the shop’s first year it has brought in revenue well in excess of £100,000.

The shop is always looking for new volunteers to join its team. For more information call the shop on 01454 501090