Small prizes available
DECORATE A WOODEN CLOTHES PEG (available, free, in the shop or use your own) Take a photo of your peg and send it to hncshop@yahoo.co.uk with your name (and age if under 18). Then attach your peg to the line on the shop porch so others can admire your craft. Deadline: 20th December Collect after Christmas if you would like it back. |
October 2020: Warm, no matter what
To all the lovely people who responded to the HNC shop appeal for good quality goods to be taken to the West Berks Community Baby Bank, THANK YOU, both from the shop and from Kayleigh who helps organise the donations, pictured below. Vanessa and Olly took a full car load to the bank. What an amazing and very generous response from our wonderful community. |
October 2020: No child hungry
Our shop is joining the many different businesses offering free school meals during the holidays. So, if you’re a parent or carer with children who receive free school meals, or if your family would benefit from support, please just pop a note in an envelope addressed to the shop manager saying how many children are in need, and we will arrange free packed lunches for them during half term. No questions asked. It will all be done discretely, no-one but you and the shop manager will know, so please let us know if your children would benefit from this. And if you know of anyone you think may benefit, please let them know. We are looking to set up a way of helping families in need with Christmas presents for their children, and for food. No child should go hungry, no child should be cold, and no child should be without presents. |
October 2020,
our very own apple juice made with apples donated from the community in Hampstead Norreys and surrounding villages. Limited stock . . . |
5 September 2020, 10am to 1pm, at the front of the shop
We are very pleased to welcome the Pantry Refill Company - a family-based eco-friendly zero waste company who handcraft produce bags for your home and shopping, as well as refill your pantry store cupboard with dried food buying only what you need for you and your families. UPDATE: Click the link to see more information about the amazing produce and goods from Eloise. Thanks to all who supported this venture, and we hope to repeat in the near future. |
SORRY, NOW CANCELLED BUT WE WILL RUN IT AGAIN AT A LATER DATE
March 2020 An original present for Mothers’ Day — make her some soap Mothers’ Day is on Sunday 22 March, so on Saturday 21st March we are running a soap-making workshop in the café. For just £2 take home two beautiful and original soaps. Children and adults welcome. We are running four sessions starting promptly at 3pm, 3:30pm, 4pm or 4:30pm. Take your pick! |
February 2020
Ani and Lesley representing the shop at the national finals of the Rural Business Awards in Manchester, introduced by Paul Scully, MP, and hosted by Jules Hudson of Countrysidefile. The competition was fierce and, sadly, we didn't win our category (best rural social enterprise, charity or community project). We are very proud that we won for the whole of the south-east of England and came third nationally. Feedback from the judges: "I love this submission. The community has really thought about what the local needs are and done their best to facilitate solutions. But this isn't just about shopping and transactions - it's about inclusivity and opportunity. I particularly like the fact that they've made respect a priority and they've been able to capitalise on their success. Excellent". Congratulations to the worthy winners - the Pheasant community pub at Neenton in the Midlands. |
January 2020 Huge congratulations to Jana who collects and sorts the waste plastic from our shop (and from many other places). She is the winner of the West Berkshire community champion award scheme, and has been named volunteer of the year. We are so grateful to you Jana - the award is very, very well deserved. |
January 2020
Calling all stallholders . . . If you would like a stall at our summer market, please email hncshop@yahoo.co.uk Information about previous markets can be found on the community events page. We are also taking bookings for stalls at GreenFest 2020 - scroll down for details. |
January 2020 The only plastic recycling accepted in our area of West Berkshire is plastic bottles, so many of us are trying to find a way to stop plastic from going to landfill. We are pleased to expand our plastic recycling collections on behalf of the community - we already accept biscuit and cake wrappers, crisp packets and Pringles crisp tubes - but now we can also accept plastic sweet wrappers. Use the correct green bin outside the shop, but please note what we can and can't accept. The lovely Jana Little, a volunteer, sends this plastic waste to Terracycle. If we include incorrect plastic they will reject it, so please help by only including the plastic types listed. Thank you! |
January 2020 Calling all stallholders and small businesses: if you are interested in showing your eco-friendly wares at GreenFest 2020 on 5 September, please email hncshop@yahoo.co.uk with brief details of what you can offer. As it is a community event, stalls are only £15. Scroll down for a summary of GreenFest in 2019 with pictures. It was such a great day! And for more information, see www.ourgreenfest.co.uk |
December 2019
We're thrilled to announce that we are a beneficiary of the Rural business Awards Christmas campaign! Seven charities, social enterprises or community organisations from across the UK have been chosen 'who work hard all-year-round to make rural Britain a better place to live and work'. More information can be found through this link: |
October 2019
On Friday 18 October, Vonnie and Lesley went to Canterbury for the regional finals of the Best Rural Business Awards, 2019. Much to our delight, we won the category Best Rural Social Enterprise, Charity or Community Project, for the south-east region. The national final is in February 2020, in Manchester, where we will go head-to-head with other regional finalists: a pub, another community shop, an organisation providing community transport and two organisations supporting vulnerable children. How these different enterprises can be compared is unknown but we are immensely proud to have got this far. |
October 2019 Breaking news - we are setting up a community shop orchard. The scheme will be based on a plan and design produced by Andy Howard of Heritage Fruit Company - his talk at our GreenFest event inspired us! http://www.heritageappletrees.com We aim to plant a seasonal range of new fruit trees, to include heritage varieties of apple, pear, cherry, plum, gages and damson, with supporting hedgerows to help the natural pollination process. |
June 2019
Having won the regional final for the south-east of England in the Countryside Alliance Rural Oscars, Avril, Barbara and Lesley went to the House of Lords for the national final - here we are with our MP Richard Benyon shortly before the judging. We won! To be named best rural shop in Britain is an amazing honour. The resultant TV, radio and newspaper publicity was incredible but we couldn't have achieved this without our amazing staff and volunteers so thanks to them all! |