RESIDENTS in a Dales village are on a mission to re-open two vital public services after giving the green light to plans to turn them into community ventures.

More than 50 people from Clapham turned out to a public meeting on Saturday where they threw themselves wholeheartedly behind proposals to re-open both a corner shop and post office in the village by January, next year.

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“A lot of people came to the meeting, which we were really pleased with,” said Don Gamble, chairman of steering group, Clapham Community Shop Ltd.

“We put the plans to the vote and it was unanimous support for us to continue with what we’re doing.” He explained that at Saturday’s meeting villagers were presented with a feasibility study, which outlined why the plan should work.

It is hoped the village shop could be re-opened selling basics and produce sourced from local farms, while the post office could also return to the village with a counter in the shop.

Both shut down in May because of high running costs, so it is envisaged the shop will be run by a paid manager with help from a pool of 30 volunteers.

Now the steering group needs to raise £30,000 to pay for a refurbishment and to re-stock the shop, and will be taking donations and selling shares from September 20.

“I think people are enthusiastic because they have missed the convenience of it,” continued Mr Gamble.

“The nearest shop is a couple of miles away and you can’t walk to it and public transport isn’t great.

“People on the outlying farms are tending not to come into the village any more because there’s no shop or post office, and that, if they’re not careful, will have a knock-on effect on things like the pub.

“I hope we sell plenty of shares because that will make a huge difference.”

An open day for those wanting more information will be held on September 20 at Clapham Village Hall between 10am and 4pm.

For more details or to buy shares, email claphamshop @btinternet.com, phone 015242 51775 or, after September 20, visit www.clapham yorkshire.co.uk