Community Greengrocer

Your Community Greengrocer needs you!

As you may have heard, Blooming Fruity in Banks Parade is up for sale. A steering group has formed to explore the idea of developing it into a Community Greengrocers, so we can preserve this valuable asset for the community, as part of a thriving and diverse range of shops.

Our initial investigations have convinced us the concept has enormous potential, and we want to take it forward, but to do so we will need more group members to help make it a reality. In particular, we are looking for villagers with experience in finance, retail, marketing and market research.

We aren't looking for people to run the shop at this stage, just enthusiastic members of the community who could devote their expertise and a little spare time to overseeing and shaping the emerging project.

If you'd like to get involved or to find out more, please email Greg Smith: greg.smith@buckinghamshire.gov.uk

At our stall at Haddenham Fete earlier this summer, we canvassed local opinion and held a raffle for 3 hampers kindly donated by Sally of Blooming Fruity to raise some initial funds. Respondents to the survey were overwhelmingly enthusiastic about community ownership and strongly endorsed the shop's friendly, helpful, community-focussed team.

People were very keen on the convenience of being able to purchase a wide variety of high-quality fresh fruit and veg in the village centre. They also appreciated the green credentials of such a shop, including the ability to minimise travel, reduce plastic packaging and cut waste by buying only as much as you need.

Watch this space for further updates... and please do get in touch if you share our vision and want to see a flourishing greengrocer continue to operate in the heart of Haddenham.