At a time when many rural businesses are struggling to survive, Wiltshire Business of the Year Helen Browning's Organic is trying to buck the trend with the opening of a new village store. Eastbrook Farm Village Shop will aim to put high quality food back at the heart of the community when it opens this week.
The farm and shop enterprise has the support of Hilary Benn, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, who gave the thumbs up to the opening of the farm shop during his recent visit. The Helen Browning business was held up as an example of a thriving rural business that is cutting food miles at the same time.
Eastbrook Farm Village Shop, is set in the grounds of The Royal Oak pub and restaurant headed up by organic pioneer Helen Browning. Set in the village of Bishopstone, near Swindon, it is cradled by the rolling pastures of Eastbrook Organic Farm. It opens almost 20 years after the closure of the previous Bishopstone store. Fifty years ago the corner shop was the mainstay of many communities; it was the centre of local information and gossip, as well as providing those everyday essentials. With the advent of the supermarket slowly these shops have disappeared; however farm shops like Eastbrook are determined to revive the tradition by providing an essential local service.
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"With the recent closure of a neighbouring convenience store we hope that the Eastbrook Farm Village Shop will make local food more accessible to our community and give people the chance to see how local food is being produced - less food miles, less packaging, and fresher food," said Helen Browning. The shop will also be selling essentials, from toothpaste to toilet paper and dog food.