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.
Operating as a Community Benefit Society with approximately 200 members recruited by word of mouth, this shop runs six days a week (Monday-Thursday 9am-5:30pm, Friday 9am-7pm, Saturday 9am-12:30pm) – hours carefully balanced to match volunteer availability. The shop is managed by a voluntary Management Committee of six members with a sub-committee of seven, and is entirely volunteer-run. Their 40-50 volunteers perform various roles beyond shop work, including back-office tasks, rota management, buying, and sourcing stock.
In our conversation with East Morton representatives, these important financial and operational points emerged:
Clearly communicate the community benefit and what would be lost without the asset
Be aware that all operational costs are increasing (utilities, waste management, insurance)
Consider capacity limitations when setting pricing to cover increasing costs
The East Morton model demonstrates how a community shop can operate successfully with an all-volunteer workforce, even offering work experience opportunities for Duke of Edinburgh Award participants on Saturday mornings.
We extend our sincere thanks to Linda Will for welcoming us to East Morton Community Shop and sharing her insights into managing an all-volunteer operation. Her practical knowledge of balancing volunteer availability with opening hours was particularly helpful. Special thanks to Cathy Wilcock and Vanessa Barry from the WACA Learning Visits team for conducting this visit and compiling such an informative report.
