THE future of Cheriton Fitzpaine’s community shop has almost been secured.

A share offer, which was launched in May and closed on Friday, October 31, has raised £106,100 from as many as 224 supporters.

This sum, together with a grant of £50,000 from Cooperatives UK, will allow the community to buy the former Methodist Church next door and move the shop inside.

The community shop opened in 2018 in a cabin on land adjacent to the church, after the village’s post office and shop shut two years prior.

Temporary planning permission for the cabin housing the community shop expires in November 2026, and the shop's lease in December 2027.

With the future of the shop under threat, villagers came up with a plan to raise funds to buy the old church, move the shop inside and open a cafe and multi-purpose hub.

The church closed in 2024 due to a dwindling and aging congregation. The building is in a “poor state of repair” and a recent public meeting heard it has “major problems with practically everything” except the roof.

An estimated £275,000 is needed for the whole project. For now, the money raised from the share offer means the church can be purchased and some of the refurbishments carried out. More grant funding can be sought later.

“Cheriton Fitzpaine Community Shop is delighted to announce that, thanks to 224 of their wonderful supporters in the village and beyond, its community share offer has raised the magnificent sum of £106,100 in their bid to save their shop,” Cheriton Fitzpaine Community Shop Chair Mike Porter said.

“Not only will the purchase of the chapel retain a vital resource in the village, but it will also enable the creation of a larger shop together with a cafe, art/ craft space and heritage centre.”