A celebratory party was held in the village hall on Friday (Nov 16) attended by many of those involved in setting up the shop two decades ago together with the current management team and volunteers.

Virginia Bottomley, who as local MP was asked to reopen the shop in 1992, returned to the village to toast its continued success, paying particular tribute to the villagers whose vision, hard work and generosity got got the shop reopened and the many volunteers who have kept it going since.

“If Britain is a nation of shop keepers then Hambledon is a village of shopkeepers,” she said.

Hambledon has had a village shop since at least 1850. It closed in March 1991 as, like so many other small shops, it lost out to supermarkets. It was a grievous loss to a rural community like Hambledon and older people in particular missed the convenience of a general provisions store and Post Office.

Two things happened that were to galvanise a team of villagers to take matters into their own hands. The Rev Christopher Blissard-Barnes, then vicar of St Peter’s Church, preached a sermon on the value of community spirit, saying that it would be wonderful if the shop could be reopened.

At about the same time The Times carried an article about the village of Debden in Essex which had opened a village stores staffed by volunteers, then a rarity.

Inspired by the sermon Denis Jones, a local retired head master, decided to investigate whether it was possible to reopen the shop. Furtunately the premises remained in the hands of Ray and Pat Williams, who had previously run it, and they gave their backing.

The task was big: The shop was in disrepair, there were legal as well as practical issues to be resolved, and money was needed to get the venture off the ground. Volunteers from Debden were approached and they shared their experiences with Hambledon.

Denis, with his wife Brenda, was joined by George Pitt, a charted accountant, and Peter Greenhalgh, a solicitor, and their expertise helped move the project forward. George and Peter were assisted by their wives, Caroline and Fiona and they, and others, set about cleaning, renovating and refurbishing the shop. Villagers responded to an appeal for funds and £15,000 was raised in loans and gifts, half of which went on stocking the shop.

On November 14th, 1992, this small task force of volunteers saw their efforts rewarded when, amid much publicity, the shop and Post Office was reopened by Mrs Bottomley, then MP for the area. The shop was staffed by a paid manager assisted by volunteers.

Two decades on, the shop remains on a sound footing and still staffed largely by volunteers. Mrs Bottomley said at the 20th party: “Hambledon is fortunate to have people who will not take no for an answer and who stand up and make a difference and make things happen”.

Along the way the shop has benefited from community grants enabling upgrades and rebuilding work. An important step in securing the shop’s future was the setting up by Jane Woolley of the Hambledon Village Trust, which acquired the shop premises and now acts as a benovolent landlord, with Mary Burrows as chairman and Jane, Tim Parker and Julian Nowill as trustees.

The business is run by Hambledon Village Shop Ltd which had George Pitt as its chairman until handing over recently to Tim Parker.

It is now one of the longest-running community shops in the country, with fresh locally sourced meat and vegetables, a deli, general provision and an upgraded Post Office counter. Other villages have followed Hambledon’s example and many have visited to see how it is done.

Notable events in since its reopening have included a gallantry citation for Guy Lemieux who, as shop manager in 1995, helped foil a raid on the Post Office; Jane Woolley’s 70km walk on her 70th birthday when, joined by other villagers, she raised much more than her £7,000 target for Trust funds to benefit on the shop; the 2005 restoration of the barn with Leon West as project manager and Richard Appleby as builder, and the visit by Princess Alexandra in 2009 in recognition of Hambledon being voted Surrey Village of the Year.

The shop has been actively supported by Hambledon Parish Council, the village fete, Waverley and Surrey Councils, The Community Foundation for Surrey and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, among others.

Our pictures show George Pitt handing over the baton of chairmanship of Hambledon Village Shop Ltd to Tim Parker, watched by guest of honour Virginia Bottomley (Baroness Bottomley of Nettlestone) and two cakes iced with pictures of the village shop, then and now, taken at the celebration party.