As part of WACA’s Learning Visits programme, we’re connecting with established community businesses to gather practical insights and lessons learned. These visits help us understand different models of community ownership and operation, providing valuable guidance as we develop our own local initiatives. Each visit offers a unique perspective on what makes community enterprises thrive.

Dobcross Village Store and Post Office

Operating as a Community Benefit Society registered in 2024, this village shop and post office demonstrates how effective community mobilisation can save essential local services. With 124 members recruited from their community of 600 postal addresses, they took over shop operations in April 2024 and the post office in January 2025. The business operates six days a week (Monday-Friday 8:30am-5:30pm, Saturday 8:30am-12:30pm, Sunday 8:30am-11:30am shop only) and is governed by a management committee of twelve with four directors. Their staffing model combines three part-time paid positions (Manager, Assistant Manager, and Post Office Assistant) with thirty volunteers, and they’ve created a ‘cosy corner’ area with tables and drinks machine to encourage social interaction and community cohesion.

Through successful fundraising, they raised £62,000 via community share offer (minimum £250) and secured a £90,000 Community Funding Grant for refurbishment and equipment. Their approach demonstrates how continuity of experienced staff can smooth transitions, with their manager Tim having worked in the shop for eight years before the community takeover.

From our discussions with the Dobcross team, these strategic insights emerged:

Run a publicity campaign using multiple channels (local MP, press, TV, radio, social media)

Find different ‘touch points’ to reach as many people as possible throughout the process

Don’t make membership sound too onerous to potential supporters

Emphasise both social and financial benefits for the wider community

Make use of seasonal events and activities for promotion and engagement

Ensure the manager has fair autonomy whilst maintaining management committee support

When taking over a post office, insist on a Business to Business contract rather than personal guarantors

Their community ownership model has allowed them to improve staff conditions, stock higher quality products, and develop additional community initiatives like a seed bank and plans for herb growing areas and delivery services.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Tim Newbold, Louise Stevenson, and Suzanne Wright for sharing their experiences and practical knowledge with us. Their insights into successful community mobilisation and the importance of strong publicity campaigns were particularly valuable. Special thanks also to Julia Sullivan and Catherine from the WACA Learning Visits team for conducting this visit and documenting these important lessons for community shop and post office acquisition.

As part of WACA’s Learning Visits programme, we’re connecting with established community businesses to gather practical insights and lessons learned. These visits help us understand different models of community ownership and operation, providing valuable guidance as we develop our own local initiatives. Each visit offers a unique perspective on what makes community enterprises thrive.

Earlams in Styal, Cheshire

Operating since 2014 as a Community Business Asset, this unique enterprise combines a shop, café and art gallery under one roof. Open from 9am to 3:30pm daily, Earlams operates with three volunteer shifts and is governed by a Management Group of eight people organised into three teams for the shop, café and art gallery respectively. Their staffing model includes a manager working five days a week, a relief manager covering two days, and approximately 40 volunteers who receive comprehensive training in areas such as alcohol licensing, health and safety, hygiene and allergen awareness.

The business has created a welcoming community hub that goes far beyond retail, offering children’s play areas in the garden, French Boules, regular ‘knit and natter’ sessions, and community courses in flower arranging and art. Their commitment to community involvement extends to purchasing a defibrillator and offering training, demonstrating how a community business can serve broader social needs.

From our discussions with the Earlams team, these valuable insights emerged:

Seek accreditation to strengthen funding applications (they achieved the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service)

Adapt your stock based on what people actually buy, not what they say they want

Maintain profit margins of at least 70% for café operations

Understand that community enterprises require more people to operate than initially anticipated

Their approach shows how combining retail with arts and community activities can create a sustainable business model that truly serves as the heart of a community, with funding secured from diverse sources including Manchester Airport, the Co-op, the Lottery and various arts organisations.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to John Novak for his time and openness in sharing the Earlams journey with us. His practical insights into adapting business operations based on real customer behaviour were particularly valuable. Our appreciation also goes to Ian Alderson and Vanessa Barry from the WACA Learning Visits team for conducting this visit and documenting these important lessons about combining community retail with arts and social activities.