The Shop at Bromsberrow

Newsletter for June 2016

From Monica Butler, Vice Chair: Extract from the AGM report
"It has been another good year for the Shop and it is being visited by more and more people.
As you know Bromesberrow has this village hall, the church and the school. Bromsberrow
Heath only has the Shop so it is very important to the village. The Shop is not here to make
lots of money but enough to cover costs, pay the rent, electricity etc. And it has succeeded. It
is a place to meet people, make friends, and chat as well buy essentials and is very successful
especially for the older generation. Many events have been held. Boot sales, The BIG
BRUNCH, Strawberry tea, Computer classes, Food and Hygiene certificates, coffee mornings
and afternoon tea parties for various groups. The Newent cycle route has been very
advantageous and popular bringing in many groups and individuals for tea, coffee and
snacks. Thank you to all who have visited the Shop and supported these special events. The
Shop is run by a very supportive group of volunteers who give their time generously but we
need to cover sickness and holidays. I would like to thank them all they are a great team. We
do need more helpers, just 2 hours occasionally would be a great help. In closing please
remember you can become a shareholder for as little as 1.00. This gives you a stake and
voice on issues relating to your Shop *** Date for your Diary: Please support this excellent
new initiative!! A joint Farmers Market and Boot sale to be held on Saturday 18th June
from 9.30 to 12.30. We are now taking bookings so if you would like a table/boot please
contact the Shop. 5 public, 7 trade. ****
From our Buyer, Paggie Jones: Fathers Day is on 17th June, so have a look when you are
next in The Shop and see the good selection of Fathers Day cards, and a variety of gifts to
please them all. This months Special offers: Regina Heart Kitchen Towels 2 rolls for 1.00;
Carling beer 4x 500mls cans for 4.49; half price offer: buy one Mc Cain Hash Browns and
get one Birds Eye 12 Crispy Chicken Dippers for 1.00, normal priced at 2.00. New Ice
Creams available at the Shop are: Cadburys Caramel Stick and Cadburys Crunchie Blast,
both selling at 1.80; Cadbury Classic Milk Chocolate and Classic White Chocolate selling
for only 1.50. Bottlegreen drinks, presse and cordial, various flavours only 95p each, normal
price 1.29
Special promotion: High in the mountains of Matagalpa, there is a farm called Finca Joan
Bowen, the Peace and Hope Trusts Coffee Farm. Coffee forms the mainstay of the farms
activities and four families depend entirely on it for their living. The Trust is able to grow and
produce their own fairly traded, organic speciality coffee, which at harvest time provided
important seasonal jobs for local families.
The Shop at Bromsberrow is now offering this speciality Nicaraguan coffee, being the only
retail shop in the area selling this organic coffee. We will shortly be holding a free taster
event at The Shop for you to try this delicious coffee. So be one of the first to try this fairly
traded coffee. It comes in two pack sizes, 454gm, medium ground and dark ground at a
reasonable price of only 6.50. 1kg bags of medium roast whole bean are available to
order. This U.K-based charity has a Christian ethos and has been working amongst the poor
and marginalized communities in Nicaragua since 1996.
From Jackie Tweedale: - Magazine Swap - If you have any magazines you no longer want
then please bring them to the shop and you can swap them. We will organise a box or other
suitable box to keep them in. Swap your magazines for someone else's a good way to keep
the entertainment doing the rounds! Daffodil: Would you like to make a pottery daffodil?
Jackie Tweedale is collecting names from anyone who would like to make a pottery daffodil.
We need 15 people so that we can organise a group session at Eastnor Pottery. It could be an
afternoon or evening. Leave your contact details at the shop and I will then contact the
pottery to arrange times, likely to be in June or early July.

From Judith Britton: Our meeting this month was well attended. We welcomed Christine
Counsell from Hartbury, a well-travelled lady. Christine usually makes solitary trips to China,
however she has recently returned from a train journey across Canada, from Vancouver to
Toronto. Whilst in Toronto she then made a further train journey to Niagara especially to visit
the stunning water falls. She focussed on the Canadian trip for her talk, which was amusing
and lively as she recalled her adventures on this epic train journey accompanied on this
occasion by her sister.
The photographic competition judged by members was not well supported.
1st Alan Greatwood, 2nd Judith Britton, 3rd Ann Newman
Members discussed the outing to the walled Garden at Croome Park, which will take place on
our usual meeting evening in July. Our next meeting will be on the 9th June in Bromsberrow
Village Hall at 7.30pm.Bob Hares whose talk will be on the theme of The Garden in July
New members and visitors will be given a warm welcome.
Organised by Charlie and Steve Wood, The annual Vintage Tractor Crank up event drew
crowds of visitors and enthusiasts on a sunny day in Bromesberrow. People of all ages
flocked to view the impressive line up of 31 tractors dating from the late 1930s up to the early
1990s, including Leyland, Wargent and 188s. Audi, Nuffield, David Brown, Ford, and
Massey. Amongst the cars; a rare Rover SD1 Vitesse; several motorbikes and a lovely vintage
Morris lorry all proudly displayed by their owners. The traditional tractor pull like a giant
tug of war strained and tested the turbo modified tractors creating entertainment with much
cheering from spectators. Co-organiser Steve Wood said: This is our third year and it has
been a great turnout. Our thanks go to everyone who supported the event. Visitors enjoyed
snacks provided in the Village Hall. With raffle proceeds and donations the event raised over
411, which the village hall kindly topped up to a whopping 500.00 toward the Air
Ambulance appeal. Here's to next year!
From Peter Jones: Jan has explained in her note (below) why she is taking a sabbatical from
the shop for about a year. I am sure she will be seen from time to time collecting her bread
and newspaper orders, and to buy odds and ends. However the point of this is article is, on
behalf of everyone connected with the shop, volunteers, past and present and of course all our
customers who have got to know her so well, a great big thank you to Jan for all the
enormous effort she has put in to make the shop viable, and an asset to the village that
everyone can use. In 2012, Jan was instrumental in getting the ball rolling to start a
community shop when the original Post office and Shop closed. Her energy, drive and sheer
determination, despite many setbacks, aggravations and criticisms, ensured those using the
shop would benefit. We now we have something of which the community can be proud.
Thank you Jan for all your sterling efforts, without which there would be no shop, we look
forward to welcoming you back after your work for The Rotary Club is completed.
Final word from Jan Long: Ive been involved with the Shop since its inception and
watched with satisfaction its growth and prosperity, and the increased numbers of customers,
local and further a-field who use the facilities. I hope those who have wished the shop to fail
will find it within themselves to volunteer and help. The wonderful customers who use the
shop have made it a pleasure to work for the good of the community and those vital contacts
will sustain the goodwill to ensure the shop is an even greater success. My year of absence
means I can concentrate on the valued work of Rotary, which is to do good around the world.
The Shop at Bromsberrow 01531 650744