The Plunkett Foundation

This foundation runs the only UK widesite and network for community-owned rural shops where you can get information about setting up and running a community-owned shop. Although there are curently only a few examples from Scotland there is a wealth of information on their site for rural communities wanting to take ownership of assets.

They have a mentoring scheme which gives participants the chance to get free help and advice from other community shops. The Foundation can arrange for an individual from another community shop to work with you over a three month period to tackle a particular issue. You can find further details about how to apply for mentoring assistance here

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Secondly, the Foundation will be launching a new national benefits package for community shops at their networking event in March. The package will include access to various deals and discounts on services such as energy, insurance and card payment systems. You can find further information about the networking event and the benefits package here .

For more information on all they offer go to their website.