Wellow's village shop, The Parlour, was taken over by the village in 1997 and set up as one of the first community shops in the area. After sixteen years of unbroken service, however, the place was in sore need of updating.
Funding was available, thanks to a substantial grant from Bath and North East Somerset Council and generous donations from village groups and individuals, and the task of identifying and bringing about all the necessary changes was undertaken by two Wellow residents, Ron and Sheilagh Humphreys.
They designed an imaginative scheme – a new layout, new lighting, new shelving and introduced a range of additional stock with an emphasis on local, quality food. Once the lighting was installed, the whole changeover was achieved by Ron, Sheilagh and a band of helpers in one weekend, so that the shop did not have to close. The Parlour now has a very attractive, modern style for the whole village to enjoy.
On Saturday morning, 30th November, the Chairman of Bath and North East Somerset Council, Cllr Neil Butters, came to the shop to join in the celebration of its new look and cut a festive tape to mark the occasion!
The shop received over £1,500 in donations from the community and a £5,000 grant from B&NES Council.