A VILLAGE shop has been opened in record time to help its community through the lockdown.

Gill and Rob Berry had planned to launch a shop at the St John Inn near Torpoint, and with help from the Pub is the Hub organisation, they’d anticipated the project would take three months.

But as the Covid 19 crisis was announced Gill and John sped things up and their shop went from ’flat pack to flat out’ in around nine days.

Now, the shop in a shed is up and running and selling basics such as bread and dairy products, tinned and dry goods and salad items. There are plans to build this up into a full range of grocercies and locally sourced goods.

The couple’s achievement has reached the ears of government and they have received a letter from the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Rural Affairs, Lord Kimble.

In it he writes: ’May I offer you my warmest congratulations and thanks for all you have done at the St John Inn. I was pleased to read about how you have be able to adpat so quickly to the change in circumstances to provide such a worthwhile and essential service to your community.’

Gill and Rob had approached Pub is The Hub earlier in the year for help and advice on setting up the shop and had been able to successfully apply for a £3000 grant from the Community Services Fund to support their costs.

’We were fortunate in that we had most of the materials we needed to build the shop as the lockdown was announced,’ said Gill.

’We worked hard during the early weeks in a stifling heatwave but managed to open with some very basic essentials. We’re still trying to fine-tune the fresh food, but we’ll get there and when we come out of lockdown the shop will continue to serve the village with a wider range of stock and will complement our pub business.’

Gill and Rob Berry purchased the St John pub freehold in 2017 and have built back trade, after a three-year closure, to bring it back as the main hub of the village.

Pub is The Hub advisor, Reg Clarke said: ’Gill and John pulled out all the stops to get the essential village service up and running with such a quick turnaround. Beyond Covid they hope that this community hub will be a social meeting place to help fight isolation and loneliness.’