Just going down the Hub ...

Have you ever wished there were somewhere handy in your village - a place where you could pop in for a whole range of local services, to save you time, trouble ... and yet another trip in the car? Run out of milk or fresh bread? Need a local cash point? Somewhere to pick up email or get help using the Internet? A place to meet for coffee? Somewhere to take in your parcels or drop off your library books? An outlet for local farm produce? If your village isn't big enough to have its own bakery, cafe, bank, shop, youth club or internet access point - why not roll what you need into one Village Hub?

See here how Vital Villages is working with villages at the moment.

What is a Village Hub?
You tell us! The idea isn't necessarily new; lots of Village Shops and Post Offices already offer dry cleaning, shoe repairs, video hire, photocopies and deliveries, as well as convenience foods.

The Village Hub idea can be used to extend or diversify an existing business in your village -for example to add new services to a shop or pub. Or you might want to bring new services into a village hall, school, church, or local club. A hub can be run as a completely new non-profit venture, staffed by volunteers. It's up to you, and will depend on what already exists in your village, and what people need.

Mix and match what you want -Vital Villages is here to advise and support; our only proviso is that your Hub should include some retail services, and that these shouldn't compete with any existing shop in your village.

The Vital Villages team can help you at every stage:

The ideas: getting people interested, helping you form a group, exploring possibilities, learning from other projects

The facts: finding out what people want, if they will support local services with their time or custom, what they will pay

The context: legal issues, competition and collaboration, opportunities and barriers, useful contacts

The projections: what it will cost, what money it will bring in, future planning and development

The money: help with fund-raising, advice on community investment, financial planning

The skills: what you need to know, how to manage a new service, retail training, IT training, managing volunteers and staff

The support: publicity, on-going help and advice, trouble-shooting, networking

The Next Step: If you are interested in finding out more, contact the Project Office (see left above for details).