A village shop and Post Office run by volunteers has celebrated its sixth anniversary.

The Hursley Community Shop and Post Office, which is run almost entirely by volunteers, was bought by the community in September 2018.

A total of 119 members of the community bought shares in the Hursley Community Shop Association which purchased the premises, stock, and goodwill.

They were supported by grants from Hampshire County Council and the Post Office.

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The Hursley community are celebrating the sixth anniversary (Image: Chris Beddoes) The shop, which has been described as a "very important hub for Hursley Parish life", was particularly valued during the Covid pandemic.

Margaret Rose, a long-time Hursley resident aged 93, said: "The shop has enabled me to continue to live in the village. It would be impossible for me to manage without it."

She added: "I really appreciate the helpfulness and kindness of the volunteers who work in the shop."

The shop and Post Office are run by volunteers who take on roles including postmaster, accounting, administration, finance, buying stock, cleaning, and serving customers.

Volunteers are supported by the newly-appointed part-time manager, Bengisu Buyukikiz.

Chris Beddoes, chairman of the Hursley Community Shop Association, said: "Our shop has met the financial objectives set out in its business plan. This success has been down to support from our customers and the tremendous commitment from our volunteers.

"Recent inflation has pushed up costs though, and we are constantly trying new ideas to attract more people through the door to assure our future; and we can always do with a few more volunteers to spread the workload - most find it rewarding even for just a couple of hours a week."