MP joins celebration for Sayers Common community shop

Arundel and South Downs MP Nick Herbert attended a celebration evening to mark the completion of the Sayers CommonCommunity Shop and Hall on Friday (3 July).

The final stage of the Sayers Common Village Hall and Shop refurbishment was recently completed to include a new kitchen to support the shop and hall activities, cloakrooms with access-for-all, and a new goods storage area.

The community shop and hall project was made possible by the tremendous effort of the local community and with funding from the Big Society, local donors and the Parish Council.  Sayers Common now has a central hub for the village that hosts a variety of social activities.  

The refurbished village hall is owned by a charity and run by a voluntary committee, chaired by Shaun Hole.  Mr Hole welcomed the special guests to the celebration event which was attended by the MP, local councillors and many of the village’s volunteers and supporters.

County Councillor Peter Griffiths thanked everyone involved for their hard work before handing over a cheque to the charity’s trustees on behalf of the Big Society Fund.  A commemorative plaque was also unveiled by Mr Herbert to mark the contribution of everyone involved with the project.

Nick Herbert said: “I was delighted to open the refurbished village hall which, with the community shop, is such an innovative project.

"This is now the fourth community shop in my constituency and has been made possible by local grants but also through the hard work of dedicated volunteers.

“I congratulate everyone who has been involved with the project, and am delighted to have been invited to join them at the grand opening.”

ENDS

Notes

  1.    Photograph 1 attached – Malcom Heather, Chairman of the Community Shop Committee, Nick Herbert MP, Councillor Peter Griffiths, Shaun Hole, Chairman of the Community Hall committee, Stephen Hands, Chairman of the Hurstpierpoint and Sayers Common Parish Council.

  2.    For more information about the West Sussex Member’s Big Society Fund see https://www.westsussex.gov.uk/leisure-recreation-and-community/grants-and-funding/funding-for-voluntary-and-community-organisations/members-big-society-fund/.

  3.    For more information about the Sayers Common Community Shop and Hall see http://www.sayerscommoncommunityshop.org/.