Home straight now for the shop and café!
Since my last newsletter, work on the shop build has been progressing well. The joinery screen is well advanced, the scaffolding has gone, the fridges and freezers are in place and. The shop floor has been sanded and is looking beautiful, and we have stripped the carpet from the cafe seating area. The accompanying photos show how close we are to the finished product. Look out for regular updates on Instagram and Facebook.
You never know what an old church will throw at you, we have had to rebuild the side door link bridge, and Covid recently struck some of our team - but all is going well now, and my thanks go to the whole team who are working very hard behind the scenes.
Very soon the shop will be dust-free and secure, ready for the coffee machine and the electronic till to be installed. Training on using them can commence, and soon we can start filling the shelves with stock. We have put a lot of time and effort into selecting our suppliers – from wholesalers for affordable basics to local specialists such as Hobbs House Bakery and Taylors of Minchinhampton. We hope you will be pleased with the range on offer. You will definitely enjoy the cakes: we know, because we have been tasting samples😋.
Alison and Deb have had some very positive feedback from volunteers on their first set of training sessions. There is still time to volunteer for a range of roles: working in the shop, sorting out newspapers first thing or picking up cakes on a Monday morning.
Contact alison@truphet.com or debelizherbert@gmail.com if you want to find out more about joining our welcoming, enthusiastic team. We know a number of properties in the village are changing hands so if you meet any new faces, feel free to drop a hint that volunteering with us is a great way to get to know our friendly village!
We know you are all keen to find out the opening date. We are too! But we are being careful not to tie ourselves to a specific date while there is always the possibility of another slip. But fear not, we'll let you all know the minute we've firmed up that long-awaited date.
Helen