AN award-winning community shop is celebrating its first year in its new High Street location.

The Green Gram, in Fordingbridge, says the move has led to more success with an increased turnover of approximately 40 per cent, "greater awareness of the shop and new customers visiting every week".

Jo Anderson, Manager at The Green Gram, says: “Our move was definitely the right move for us!

"We have increased from 4 volunteers a day to up to eight on busy days and we’ve increased the number of volunteers working in the shop overall to 50, with a couple more in training.

"We also have young volunteers doing Duke of Edinburgh and school-work experience, so we usually have two young people helping on a Saturday now too.”

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(Image: Contributed) The shop is still working with local suppliers, and this has increased since the move.

The Green Gram now supplies Jocasta’s Fudge, which is made in Fordingbridge, as well as working with Forest Edge Roasting Co (Lyndhurst) and Wimborne Coffee Roasters for its coffee beans, which can now be ground to order.

The shop is also stocking rapeseed oil refills from The Magnificent Seed in Shrewton near Salisbury and greetings cards by Fordingbridge -based artists Kathryn Coyle aka Little Red Boots and May Summers Perkins.

Additionally, members of Avon Valley Shed have produced wood turned items, which are displayed in the shop and are available in exchange for a donation to the charity.

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The Green Gram’s expanded space has enabled it to increase the range of products on offer, with more flours, organic oats, oils and vinegars, lots of sweet and savoury snacks, natural cleaning products (especially those advocated by Nancy Birtwhistle) and new toiletries and household items. 

Jo added: “It’s been a busy and amazing year for us, and we are looking forward to what’s next. We’ll be open for the Christmas lights switch on for those people who haven’t found us yet and for those who want to come and say hello. We are also offering extended opening hours on Saturdays from 9am-4pm throughout November and December”.

Since originally opening in May 2022, The Green Gram has been offering refills of foods, cleaning products and toiletries. Its customers have prevented over 1,500kg of plastic waste, equivalent to nearly 66,000 containers.