Villages Direct
An exciting opportunity
to develop new life in your community

Villages Direct is our latest project, to help villages which do not have a shop to buy fruit and vegetables, meat and groceries locally. Wherever possible, this will include food from local farms and producers. This means we can supply really good quality fresh food and assist local farmers at the same time.

The scheme will help everybody in the community. It has obvious benefits to those without cars. For busy mothers and time pressured commuters, it saves a trip to the supermarket. It will help put a social heart into the village by providing a place to meet people and catch up on the latest news and events.

How does it work?
The scheme is organised in the village by an individual or a small group. It could be the landlord of the local pub, the village hall committee, a club, or just somebody who wants a small extra income for a few hours work a week. It could be the local village shop. Whatever the location, the scheme is firmly based in your local community. The organiser(s) set up a "collection point" with our help - this can be a room in the pub, an outbuilding, a corner of the village hall, or wherever suitable space is available locally.

Members of the scheme receive a catalogue of food they can buy through it, updated regularly. They place their orders, and about 2 days later, their goods are delivered ready-packed to the collection point. Members then collect their orders from this one location at a time that suits them.

How to set up the scheme?
Any village without an existing food shop in Warwickshire or Worcestershire can apply to join the scheme. In addition, some villages that already have shops might qualify. Subject to a successful application, we will provide free loan of items such as refrigeration, racking, a computer etc. We will help you with generous grants towards converting buildings to provide a hygienic place to store food. We will provide free training for the people running the scheme and a marketing package to make sure everybody in the village knows what's going on.

We can help you every step of the way to make it happen.

Six Villages are already operating Villages Direct Schemes.
You can find out more about them on the Villages Direct web-site:

Birdingbury
Bubbenhall
Cleeve Prior
Preston-On-Stour
Peopleton
Bishampton

Do you want to take part?
Your village needs to provide the drive to make it succeed!

What happens next?
Contact us at the address in the panel on the left, and we will send you further details.