A new website has been set up to offer advice in setting up a community-owned shop. The Community Shops Network provides support on a range of issues including legal, financial, retailing and installing a Post Office.
 
The network will also offer the latest information on funding and support programmes available for community-owned shops as well as directories of shops in the UK and inspirational case studies.
 
The site, which is run by rural community support network, the Plunkett Foundation, will be officially launched on Friday March 12. Already 150 community-owned stores have signed up to the network.
 
Plunkett Foundation chief executive Peter Crouchman spoke of the importance of community-owned shops. “We are extremely proud to have developed the first ever online network dedicated to community-owned shops which we hope will provide an invaluable service,” he said. “We believe that rural communities have the right to try and set up community-owned shops when they are threatened with closure. The network will help rural communities to learn from and support each other.”