A pub landlady has come to the rescue of Tibberton and opened a corner shop in her pub after their regular store shut its doors.
Villagers in Tibberton feared they would have to travel miles to pick up a pint of milk or collect their papers after Tibberton Stores shut its doors last Saturday.
But the very next day a new shop opened up in the Sutherland Arms pub.
Landlady, Sue Smith, aged 52, swung open the doors of Suthy Stores on Sunday and has promised an old fashioned corner shop.
“There was big concern in the village when the shop was going to close,” she said.
“There was a parish meeting and I suggested getting a shop here and all of the parish council voted for it, so we went ahead.
“The village shop closed on Saturday so it would have been without a shop and it’s a shame to lose it, so the residents are very supportive.
“People are happy they don’t have to travel a long way to get their papers and things like that.
“The shop will sell newspapers and general things, the same as you would get in any corner shop and we are using a lot of local produce so it will be an old fashioned corner shop.”
Councillor Ann Ridgway, from Tibberton and Cherrington Parish Council, said: “When people in the village heard the shop was closing, one or two parishioners put the idea forward of having a community shop with village people running it.
“They came with that idea to the parish council but in the mean time Sue had put forward the idea of opening a shop.
“The council gave Sue their full backing and we are delighted she has opened, we wish her every success.
“The shop is very, very attractive. I have only been outside it but it looks like something from a Charls Dickens novel.”
The shop is open Monday to Friday, 7.30am - 1pm and 3pm - 6pm. Saturday, 7.30am - 6pm and Sunday, 8.30am - 12noon.
