THE vision of a new shop for a village in the Teign Valley is close to becoming a reality with the delivery of the building that is to become the shop.

Christow’s new community shop arrived in the village this week on the back of low loader.

Located in the car park of the village’s community hall, the unit was lowered into place on Wednesday, September 25.

A group of local residents have been working tirelessly to establish a new community-owned shop to serve Christow ever since the village’s last remaining shop closed in May of 2023.

Christow Parish Council approved plans for a temporary building back in April; fast forward to today and that building has arrived.

A great deal of work remains, the interior of the shop needs to be fitted out, as well as cladding installed to the exterior, but the end is in sight with the physical building now in situ, as Christow Community Shop’s Jude Jones explains.

‘I definitely makes it a reality, not just for us on the committee, but for the whole village. They have heard us going on and on about it, saying “this is going to happen, this is going to happen”, and they have been really supportive, but to actually see it is going to happen - there is a shop on site - is good news.

‘We have worked out that we need around 100 volunteer hours per week to open for as much as we want to.

Jude says they have plans to open everyday, Monday to Sunday.

‘We are hoping to open 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday and a bit shorter on the Saturday and then just few a couple of hours on Sunday mornings’ Jude said.

It is hoped that the shop will be up and running at the beginning of November, though this is not set in stone.

‘November is what we are aiming for - things should change pretty quickly now we have the shop on site, so watch this space!’ Jude said.