BLUNSDON'S village shop has been receiving wide acclaim from villagers despite having been open for just over a month.

The shop, which is located inside a temporary building in a corner of the village hall car park on Blunsdon High Street, opened at the end of March following a long battle by village residents to replace a privately run shop, which closed in April 2002.

Villagers run the shop and profits are used for the benefit of the community. A group of 20 volunteers take it in turns to work shifts.

Yesterday in a formal ceremony at the shop, Oxford, Swindon and Gloucester Co-op awarded £500 to the shop.

The Co-op community dividend grant has been used to pay for promotion, advertising, postage and telephone calls to raise awareness for the shop.

Malcolm Ward, chairman of the Blunsdon Village Shop Association said: "The £500 has been extremely useful.

"We have had an amazing reception from villagers. They are surprised by how much is in the shop, and several have described it as a Tardis, looking larger on the inside than from the outside."

"We are always busy, it's never quiet for more than 10 minutes. Children come to buy sweets after school, and that is a busy time. The village is now a focal point and a good replacement for the old village shop."

Julie Allen of the Blunsdon Village Shop Group said: "The store provides a place where villagers can shop and meet. Having this local shop also reduces the need for car journeys further a field."

"This is an initiative that the villagers started for themselves and has attracted volunteers and support from the village as a whole. We hope that the shop can be run as a viable concern."