Shared ownership for the Community
Our Story
The village shop in Llandyrnog has been a vital part of the community since 1841 and has been present in its current location since 1982. Unfortunately, in more recent years, the shop as it was struggled to remain viable and due to the impact of Covid in 2020 was reduced to just providing post office provision with significantly reduced opening hours, risking complete closure.
Thankfully, in 2022 local people came together to take matters into their own hands and through significant levels of dedication and determination managed to fundraise to purchase and revive the property with a mission of re-opening the shop and operating it in a way that was run by the community itself. Llandyrnog Shop was purchased in February 2024 and proudly re-opened as a Community Benefit Society in October 2024 with a small team of staff and a village of volunteers at the helm.
Shared ownership for the community
A Community Benefit Society is the type of legal structure under which Llandyrnog Shop operates. It is the most popular type of structure chosen for community shops as it allows the business to trade in a way that benefits the community. At the core of this is community membership, where members of the public can purchase a share in the shop in return for a vote in how the shop is run and managed. Llandyrnog Shop is has over 300 shareholders who not only raised significant funds to revive the shop, but also continue to have an active role in how the shop is run now it’s open, including electing the shop’s board of directors.
Being community run makes the shop stronger:
Community Shops in the UK
We are part of a growing sector!
- Long term Survival Rate for community run businesses 94%
- Five-year success rate for community run businesses- the average survival rate for small and medium businesses nationally is 39%! 97.5%
Meet the Team
Our Shareholders consist of over…
314 Members
Regular Shop Volunteers
Board Volunteers
Average hours contributed per week
Staff
Emma Jones
Shop Manager
Kayleigh Chown
Assistant Manager
Heulwen Schrimshaw
Assistant Manager
Jaymie Gerling
Catering Assistant
Board of Directors & Governance Support
Dr Patricia MacKinnon-Day
Chairperson
An artist with her roots in history, people and place, Tricia has experience of community projects both in Wales and elsewhere. An active member of various local groups Tricia very much enjoys contributing to the ongoing development of Llandyrnog Shop.
Ian Wilson
Secretary
Ian has experienced both the world of superstores working for Asda and Morrisons, and more recently, independent shop trading, running his own business for 5 years.
Ivan Butler
Financial Management Support
Though not a director, Ivan is a vital support for the board applying his professional skills as the former Chief Auditor for Denbighshire County Council to monitor the shop’s financial accounts and compliance.
Vivien Rosser
General Board Member & Post Master
Viv brings a strong background in retail wholesaling including account management and is currently the longest serving member of the board. Viv is also Llandyrnog Shop’s Postmaster.
Mags Roberts
General Board Member
Both cafes and shops are ventures about which Mags knows a great deal, with many years of experience running her own business in this field, this practical experience is a huge asset to the board.
Rhian Pierce
General Board Member
A trained ecologist, Rhian has returned home to run the family farm whilst still working part time in the voluntary sector for the RSPB. Rhian believes strongly in community and ‘giving back’.
John Newcombe
General Board Member
An established shop volunteer, John brings to the board a rich knowledge and experience in Health & Safety compliance.
Fran Williams
General Board Member
Fran works within the realm of community development across Denbighshire, covering community engagement, grant funding and an array of things in between! She also has experience in the voluntary sector.