CAMPAIGNERS are appealing to the public to help raise the remaining £3,000 needed to save their village shop.

A total of £6,000 is needed from the public to save the Crafthole village shop and £3,000 of that has already been pledged, with the remaining £3,000 needed by Monday, September 15.

Several meetings have been held since the closure in January, in a bid to drum up support and funds from local residents.

A questionnaire was handed out to residents and it was found that around 90 people would be willing to help and volunteer in the running of the shop.

At a meeting last Friday, it was decided by the parishioners that the next two weeks would be crucial and it was discussed in the business plan that the shop could run on a morning-only basis, manned by a part-time manager and volunteers.

The total amount of money needed to re-open the shop, which amounts to £23,000, will cover moving the post office into the main part of the shop, providing disabled access, setting up the shop with freezers, electrical work and pre-launch expenditure such as stock purchases and insurance.

Chris Kennedy, a local resident who was asked by the committee to put the business plan together said: 'It is a very important social hub for the community and it is vital to the social cohesion of the village.

'The shop provides a lifeline for those who don't have access to a car and it has been the most vulnerable people in the community that have been affected by the closure.'

SAM LANDRIGAN