Sir Henry Elwes, President of the Royal Bath & West of England Society, presented the community-owned Mells Village Shop and Café with the first Prince of Wales Award on Wednesday 30 May at the opening ceremony of the Royal Bath & West Show.
Together with an engraved crystal rose bowl and a certificate signed by the Prince of Wales, David Sheridan and June Costelloe, Chairman and Secretary of Mells Village Shop Ltd respectively, received a cheque for £1,000, to be spent on furthering its community initiatives.
The award, a new joint initiative between the Duchy of Cornwall and the Royal Bath & West of England Society, was set up to embrace a wide range of schemes sharing a genuine attempt to bring about improvements to the lives of the rural population in a sustainable manner. It was open to all communities across Bristol, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Hampshire, Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire.
The judges praised the villagers of Mells for saving both their shop and Post Office and doing so in a truly sustainable way by building a community venture on solid commercial terms. This should ensure that it survives long in to the future, providing essential services for Mells and its nearby rural communities. Mells Village Shop has received the support of Plunkett Foundation. Find out more via http://www.communityshops.coop.