THE obituaries of rural village shops are often to be found within these pages.

But at Coniston, the Co-op store has proved to have more staying power than most as the Coniston Co-operative Society celebrated its 100th birthday this week.

The society is one of only five remaining in the UK which retains its status as a locally-owned, single co-operative shop.

It means 700 people who are mainly Coniston residents are joint shareholders in the shop. Any profits come back to members in the form of cash dividends earned on the goods they buy in the store.

All the nation's Co-ops still function on this principle but most have been taken over by the national Co-operative Wholesale Society which shares profits among its own members.

"The support of the local community has kept it open," said Richard O'Reardon, the manager of the Conison Co-operative Society. "We're a convenience store and open long hours. You are not going to stop people going to Kendal or Barrow for a big shop but it's for the items they forget. We also have an aged community in Coniston who do all their shopping with us, it's an important service."

The Co-op's history also reached slightly beyond the century. It was originally the Sawrey Co-operative Society with its first Coniston store at Church Beck cottages in 1889 before shifting to the current site. But in 1905 its Sawrey store hit tough times and only the Coniston store remained, prompting the society to re-register, swapping Sawrey for Coniston in its name.

To celebrate the centenary, extra dividend points are being given away this week on 100 popular items from cornflakes to crisps.