We’re excited to embark on the journey of creating a vibrant community-run shop, Post Office, cafe and information hub, which will serve the residents of Pitton, Farley, Firsdown, and East Grimstead by offering a delightful range of services, including fresh groceries, local produce, and refreshments, as well as convenient postal and parcel services and newspaper delivery. We look forward to making this vision a reality in 2026, coinciding with the closure of the current shop in Pitton.
Above is an artists’ impression of the proposed shop. Full details of the external and internal design are available here in the full planning document
Tell us what you would like the shop to sell ……….
Early planning for the shop fit out is already underway. In order to assess storage, display and shelving requirements we need to get a better understanding of what produce local people would like to see in the shop, so please tell us your views via our online survey.
The survey is mainly tickboxes for generic foods and household items but there is room in each section for you to highlight other items or particular brands that you prefer, so please provide more detail where you can. For example, it will be most helpful for us to know that you would purchase coffee beans or that your favourite biscuits are Jammie Dodgers. It should take less than 5 minutes to complete.
The survey will be open for four weeks. We will then assess the results, feed them into the shop design and share the results with those who take part.
18 January 2026 – Thanks to huge support from local residents building work has just begun on a new community shop, post office and cafe in Pitton. The shop is being built as an extension to Pitton Village Hall and will provide a community hub at the heart of the village.
The work is being funded through the £207,000 raised from the residents of Pitton, Firsdown, Farley and East Grimstead via a community share scheme and a £97,000 grant awarded from Wiltshire Council’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund for Rural Hubs. The latter will pay for part of the build and will also cover equipment, fixtures and fittings for the shop and café.
Further grants have been awarded by the Landfill Communities Fund and the Bernard Sunley Foundation. Donations from Firsdown Parish Council and Pitton and Farley Parish Council have also been made.
The new shop has been designed by Salisbury architects Barclay Phillips, and the build contract was awarded to R.V. Dart, following a competitive tender process. JJ Wilson at 2B11 will design the interior of the shop and local volunteers have kindly offered to help install fixtures and fittings.
The shop is planned to open in September this year (when the current shop in Pitton closes) and it will be staffed by a combination of paid staff and volunteers from the local community.
John Glen, MP for Salisbury, has been a supporter of the community shop project since it began. He commented, “This project is a model of what can be achieved when the community pulls together. I hope it will thrive and provide inspiration for other local villages, which are exploring similar initiatives”.
Alongside building the shop, the committee is working hard to prepare for the opening. This includes setting up policies, plans, and talking with the Post Office. If you can help with any of this, please contact Brian Cudby at briancudby8@gmail.com or Lorna Taylor at lornatayloruk@icloud.com.
Thank you to everyone who has already offered help with fit-out plans, hiring, site prep, and document reviews.
We need help with tasks such as retail and café design, recruiting paid and volunteer staff, developing policies and training guides, web updating, setting up a Point of Sale system, identifying and working with local suppliers – and many, many more. If you can help please contact us.
The Second Community Share Offer Share Scheme has closed. Further opportunities to purchase shares might be offered in due course. The Second Share Prospectus, including an application form, can be viewed here A separate application formis available.
Thanks to Pitton residents for sharing their views on the village and the need for a shop, and to SJ Wareham for editing the video. You can view the video by double clicking below.
Pitton Community Store 