Otterton Community Shop celebrated its 10th anniversary at the 2024 volunteer party.
The event took place in the Village Hall on November 7.
Attendees included current volunteers and the original committee members who set up the shop.
These were Viv Price, John Edmonds, Jill Gladstone, Malcolm Crabtree, Anne Bevan, and Catherine Randell.
Alasdair Cameron, representing the Otterton Relief in Need Charity, and Richard Witherby, Chairman of the Village Hall Committee, were also present.
After dinner, John Edmonds recounted the perseverance required over three years to find premises, secure funding, and fit the shop for trading.
Jeremy Wakeling, chairman of the Otterton Community Shop, introduced Alasdair Cameron, who explained the support provided by the Otterton Relief in Need Charity (ORINC) to villagers in financial need.
In response, the shop committee announced that it had approved a further donation of £3,000 to ORINC, bringing the total donated over the past three years to £10,850.
The committee also approved a second donation, giving £3,000 to the Otterton Playground Restoration Fund, which Richard Witherby accepted on behalf of the fund.
Jeremy Wakeling concluded the evening by thanking all those responsible for the success of the party, especially the shop manager, Nikki Butt, and all the volunteers.
He said: "If the village supports the shop, the shop can support the village."
He acknowledged their ongoing commitment, without which the shop would neither be viable nor able to provide financial support to the village.
Looking to the future, Mr Wakeling announced that the shop would undergo a full refurbishment in the new year.
This marks a decade of trading since the shop opened on December 1, 2014.
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