Tealby shop is the heart of community

Tealby Village Shop exists to be run by, and for locals, 
according to chairman of the committee of volunteers, 
Richard Askham.

Speaking to the Rasen Mail, Richard said: “When the first lockdown happened in March last year, the first thing that got closed was Tealby Village Hall, the next thing was Tealby Church, the next thing that got closed was Tealby School and the next thing to close was Tealby WI.

“The only thing that we were able to keep open was our village shop because we sell essential items.

“In the first lockdown, 
we lost half of our volunteers because of covid and shielding.

“Several more people in the village stepped in to help.”

There is now a team of 30 volunteers who ensure the shop can open for roughly eight hours a day, seven days a week.

Richard says that as a result of the first lockdown, there was an increase in customers using the shop.

He explained: “What 
happened rather spectacularly was the sales at the shop doubled because more and more people were using the shop on a regular basis.

“Suddenly we went from making a smaller surplus to making quite a large one.

“What it enabled us to do was to see what we could do with that surplus to give it back to the people that had given it to us.”

Richard and the other 
committee members decided to use surplus funds to 
support Tealby Village Hall by underwriting running costs for a year.

Next was Tealby WI, who received a donation to exceed the amount that members would have normally 
fundraised in one year.

Tealby School wanted to throw a Christmas party for pupils but did not have 
sufficient funds so Tealby 
Village Shop stepped in to help.

The final donation was given to All Saints Church, in Tealby.

Richard said: “The church is an outstanding historical building in the village.

“We get on very well with The Revd Chis Hewitt so we asked him what he needed and he came back and told us he would like to replace all the exterior lighting at a cost of £1,200.

“We felt that if we could light up the prettiest bit of the prettiest village, it could draw attention to the fact that this has all been raised largely by the community – helping the community – to help the community.”

Revd Chris Hewitt said: “Thank you to the community shop and its volunteers for all they have done for the community of Tealby over the last 12 months.

“We are very grateful for the financial support to replace the churches exterior lighting.

“Many of the fittings had failed and needed replacing. The carbon footprint of the new lights will be around 20 per cent of the old system. That’s something to celebrate too –thank you!”

Tealby Village Shop continues to go from strength to strength.

Richard explained: “We have a management committee consisting of eight people who all come from different walks of life in terms of management experience.

“We had a committee meeting last week where we sat down and discussed current figures and what we are going to do with them.

“When the shop wasn’t making as much money we could only forecast until the end of the month but now we are forecasting until next year.

“It is a very cohesive business but it is there to serve the community – that is the purpose – so we are just making sure with our experience that it does what it says on the tin.”

Richard also praised the community effort in Tealby and surrounding villages to support vulnerable individuals throughout the pandemic.

He said: “As the saying goes, we are in the same storm, but not in the same boat.

“We have taken the view that very quickly our village and surrounding villages mobilised to look after those who couldn’t look after themselves.

“By putting the right people in the right place at the right time you get the right result – that is not rocket science, it just needs doing.”