Winster’s shop, run by villagers for villagers, is open every day of the year – and has also boosted the funds of the local food bank during the pandemic. Shop volunteers Judy Hinsliff and Liz Jones report.
NOT many shops will be open on Christmas Day this year – but the small (some would say Tardis-like) shop in the village of Winster will be… as it was last year when visitors to a nearby village were able to buy items they urgently needed for their Christmas dinner! The Winster shop, having decided during the first lockdown to make the Matlockbased Jigsaw Food Bank its designated charity for 2020, recently handed over £2,020 to the food bank – money raised in just 19 weeks. “We were aware that many more families could find themselves struggling financially and unable to put food on the table, so the food bank seemed a particularly worthwhile cause to support in this difficult time,” said one volunteer. Back in 2005, Winster village shop was up for sale, and it seemed likely it would be converted into a private house. It was probable that the village’s last remaining shop was about to disappear, leaving a gaping hole at the heart of the community…