Fourth of July! Plus - some skills needed

The Committee have had their heads down a bit this week as we finish planning our 4th July event. The music should be good, the food great! and we have a good catalogue of promises now, including a Chocolate Ecstasy Tour and computer maintenance contracts, football party etc etc. So please get your tickets as soon as possible to help us organise the catering.
On another matter - we would like to hear from anyone interested in organising the publicity for our launch - newspapers, radio, etc. Also we would like to hear from anyone interested in sourcing equipment. We still need help on seeking grants as we are eligible for all sorts of public money.
Many hands WOULD make light work!

Our first target reached!

Good news on the fundraising front - we have definitely raised more than £20,000 in share sales, donations and small grants, so we are now eligible for our £20,000 match funding from the ViRSA CORE scheme. Now the committee has to complete the business plan and apply for the loan that is the other condition of the match-funding, so that we can have all funds ready to start renovations in mid-August. [As Mole Valley District Council planners wish our application for a new shop front and the extension into the room at the rear of the shop to go through the Planning Committee, and the earliest they can schedule is August, we have to wait to start work until that meeting is over.]
We are continuing with our fundraising efforts as we hope to invest as much of the loan as possible to keep our repayments to the minimum. SO we are steaming ahead with the 4th July fundraiser and we are getting quite a catalogue organised for our Auction of Promises!

June open morning

Our Open Morning on 7th June was a resounding success, taking over £700 gross and an additional £190 in shares and donations. The weather was perfect, the croissants, donated cakes and coffee were as good as last time - it all went swimmingly. it was great to see completely new faces and to find that the catchment area for the shop becomes ever bigger. Norbury Park Farm set up their stall and had a good tasting session - their new cheese, Dirty Vicar (!) (their adaptation of Stinking Bishop) was very successful.

Another grant awarded!

This week brings the news that O2 have awarded us £1000 from the It's Your Community Award scheme, and they have declared us to be one of their top 15 projects of the month, so that should mean substantial publicity on their website and in local media. We haven't decided when we can take up the publicity opportunity yet, as we are still in negotiations about the extra space at the rear of the shop that we hope to acquire, should everything meet Mole Valley planning regulations. But it is another big boost to our fund-raising and we draw ever closer to our target.
Frazer Burchell (aged 15) has been incredibly helpful and has composed not only a poster advertising the kids' team (to give us their ideas for the shop) but also the posters for the open morning on Saturday and for the 4th July. Thanks, Frazer, they're just great! and our Village Shop Adviser has emailed them to other community shops to show them the benefits of involving the younger people in these projects from the start.