THE community of Crackington Haven got into the Pancake Day spirit recently as they flipped and served up the traditional February goodies to raise funds for a new community shop.
Taking place just short of Pancake Day — more traditionally known as Shrove Tuesday — the pancake lunch on Friday, February 21 at the Crackington Institute raised a total of £447.
Aside from tucking into the delightful treat of pancakes with all sorts of toppings, the lunch was held to raise money for an important cause to the community — a new community shop in the heart of Crackington Haven.
Following the closure of Harvenna Stores in the village, a small group of people formed a committee to explore what could be done to revive the facility in Crackington Haven. The committee is currently formed by Kevin Johnson, Heather Smith, Ellen Hawley, Helen Chamberlain, Sally Gostick, Sue Marshall, Dai Hughes, Gill Webster, Annabel Yates, Jim Connolly-Webster, Duncan Walker, Celia Morgan, Colin Gurr and Matt Rogers.
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In December 2019, a community survey saw a huge response with more than 250 completed and over 220 people saying they would like a shop reinstated in the village. After such a positive response to the survey, the committee decided to work towards establishing a not-for-profit community shop in Crackington Haven, serving the parish of St Gennys and providing a community hub, as well as a reliable place to purchase groceries.
With the support of the Plunkett Foundation, and agreement from the Crackington Institute to potentially site the shop on its land, it is hoped the establishment of a ‘Community Benefit Society’ will permit community ownership of the shop, and with fundraising continuing to take place, it is believed this will soon be a reality for the local community.
The pancake lunch was just one example of such fundraising efforts, with approximately 120 pancakes — both savoury and sweet — being served and willingly eaten by members of the community, raising £447.
The community shop committee is holding monthly events to raise money, involve the community and update them on their progress. The pancake lunch was their most successful event yet!
The next fundraising event will be a cheese tasting and talk by Whalesborough Farm on Friday, March 20 from 12.30pm to 2.30pm.
For more information about the Crackington Haven community shop, visit crackingtonvillageshop.co.uk