A COMMUNITY store is in the running for a prestigious award known as the Rural Oscars.

Broadwindsor Community Stores has been nominated for the 2017 Countryside Alliance Awards.

Now in their 13th year, the awards celebrate rural business, produce and communities. They are public-nomination led, meaning that the stores have been nominated by one or more people who value what the Countryside Alliance describes as the ‘remarkable contribution’ the shop makes to our local area.

Andrew Hookings is one of the store’s committee members and said the accolade is down to their ‘fantastic volunteers’.

The shop opened in the old telephone exchange in Drimpton Road, Broadwindsor in 2013. 

The old village shop had closed in 2011 and villagers banded together to raise the funds needed through buying into shares in the community enterprise. 

This was matched by a grant of nearly £30,000 from Chalk and Cheese.

Mr Hookings said there are now around 50 volunteers - plus a manager and shop assistant - from Broadwindsor and the wider community the store serves, including Drimpton and Blackdown.

He added that, four years on from opening, the stores is a real community hub.

“So many of our volunteers say, if you move to the village and want to get to know people, this is the place to go.

“We try to stock as much as possible from local suppliers and a lot of our products are locally sourced. It’s a very successful community shop. It doesn’t make much profit, but that’s not what it’s about. It’s about providing a service for the community.”

Awards director Sarah Lee said: “The ‘Rural Oscars’ are something of a gold standard in rural business awards. The feel-good factor and pride that they bring cannot be overestimated.”

Nominations for the award closed on Monday and the Countryside Alliance will now draw up a list of regional finalists and begin judging. 

Categories include local food/ drink, village shop/ post office, Britain’s best butcher, rural enterprise and Britain’s best pub.

Regional winners will be announced and invited to a reception at the Houses of Parliament next April, where they will be congratulated by parliamentarians, and the British Champion in each category will be announced, winning the coveted ‘Rural Oscar’ in their category.

For more information about the awards, visit www.countrysideallianceawards.org.uk