This small Denbighshire shop has been named the best in the UK

A volunteer run store in a small Denbighshire village has been named the best shop in Britain.

Siop Pwllglas, in Pwllglas, near Ruthin, was opened in 2013 to put the heart back into the community after the former village store closed nearly 20 years earlier.

There are a handful of paid staff backed by village volunteers and the shop supports a large group of Welsh food and drink producers.

It also goes an extra mile for customers, with volunteers taking shopping home for some elderly shoppers.

Now the social enterprise has been recognised in one of the biggest retail prizes in the UK – being named UK Local Shop of the Year in the Farm Shop & Deli Awards at the NEC in Birmingham.

It followed a visit from ‘mystery shopper’ Nigel Barden, a food and drink presenter for the BBC.

Shop worker Rhian Jones said: “We were stunned to win it. For us it was like winning an Oscar.

“It was the head of judges Nigel Barden who came in as the mystery shopper.

“He said that when he came in there was a customer having a cup of tea here, a member of staff was helping carry an elderly lady’s shopping bags home for her, and he was impressed at the amount of local Welsh produce we were selling in the shop.

“It all showed that we go that extra mile for our customers and also support local producers.

“I collected the award but this was for everyone involved, the staff, volunteers, our customers and the community, it is about us all coming together.”

The shop was supported by rural regeneration agency Cadwyn Clwyd which provided £28,000 towards the £100,000 start-up cost and grants also came from Denbighshire County Council with £20,000, Village SOS £30,000 and the Plunkett Foundation £10,000.

Among the local produce on sale are apples, wine and cider from Pant Du, meat from JH Jones Butcher in Denbigh. Bim’s Kitchen sauces and beer from Purple Moose.