Long Compton Village Stores wins Countryside Alliance accolade
BOB Marley is just one of the many customers who has popped into Long Compton Village Stores over the decades and enjoyed the high levels of customer service which has just seen the stores win the Countryside Alliance Midlands Award for Village Shop and Post Office of the year 2024.
Marianne Carty and her colleague, Katie Pearce, are off to the House of Lords in June for a champions’ reception where they will find out if Long Compton Village Stores will be crowned overall winner nationally.
“I’m a bit nervous but I’ll have Katie with me and I’ll wear a navy blue trouser suit,” said Marianne, aged 84, who has worked at the stores for 50 years which she owns jointly with her sister, June Empson and Colin Empson who was post master at Long Compton for 30 years until the post office side of the business was closed down.
Marianne said: “It was a surprise, a very nice surprise to find out we had won the Midlands award. We sell fresh, local produce, sausage rolls, honey, butter and milk in fact you wouldn’t really need to go out of the village to do your shopping. We pride ourselves on being a friendly shop and it’s a place where people will come in to have a chat if they’ve got any problems and know it won’t go any further.”
Not only is it the village stores, it’s also the village newsagent, off licence and dry cleaners.
Bob Marley went into the stores in July 1980 during what was to be his last ever concert in the UK at Stafford Bingley Hall on 13th July. He died the following May.
“Bob Marley did pop in and we thought about getting a plaque put up to commemorate his visit,” Marianne said.
Claire Dyson, owner of the Equine Water Treadmill and Rehabilitation Centre in Cleeve Prior was also a winner picking up the Countryside Alliance Rural Enterprise award.
Claire has previously told the Herald: “It would be amazing to win but it would also be wonderful recognition of the team effort involved and the different people employed here at the rehabilitation centre so it’s as much a testament to them. I started supporting air ambulance and originally wanted to raise enough money to cover the cost of one flight but I’ve just carried on raising money ever since because they have to go to emergencies in the countryside which are different to other places and might involve tractors and horses.”