IT really was a Red Letter Day for the community of St Giles-on-the-Heath, writes Marilyn Hamlyn, the "Post" correspondent for the parishes of St Giles-on-the-Heath and Broad­woodwidger, when on Thursday, a portable building was delivered for the new Community Shop Project — and even the sun was shining!

It was finally announced on July 22, that the Post Office for St Giles-on-the-Heath would close and it was feared that the village shop would close as well.

But, at a public meeting held at the end of July, attended by more than 70 people, who were determined to keep the village shop running, if suitable premises could be found, for with the loss of her Post Office salary, the present Postmistress could not meet the rent of the present shop.

After much discussion and advice from VIRSTA, it was decided to seek a portable building from which to run the shop, providing a suitable site could be found. Within the grounds of the Coronation Hall, where an old store stood, was thought to be a suitable.

A meeting of the hall committee was held and they agreed to allow the old store to be dismantled and for the cabin be placed on the site. A cabin had been looked at in Newton Abbot at a cost of £3,800.

At the public meeting in July, it was agreed to raise funding for this project by voluntary donations and within the first week, takings of over £5,000 were given to the fund, which now stands at nearly £7,000.

The store was demolished by a voluntary group of men who also concreted in the pads for the feet of the portable building to rest on and also laid stone on the site.

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