Each month, the Waitrose Supermarket in Abingdon chooses three community groups (often charities) for a head to head to see who gets the lion’s share of the £1000 on offer for the month.
Shoppers get a green token and vote in a transparent ballot box. Shoppers can see how well the parties are doing and change their vote as a result.
Sometimes one community group wins by a landslide. Last month there was a very close contest between Stonewater, Friends of Stowford, and PHAB, which Stonewater just won, possibly because of the use of a human interest story.
Here were their manifestos …
Stonewater got £366.
PHAB got £329
Friends of Stowford got £305.
I supported all three… My son works with young adults with learning difficulties in Sheffield; he finds it hugely rewarding.
So the Costa signs are up on the Old Gaol site and the latest word is the Turkish Barber in Bridge street are opening another shop in the old computer shop next to cafe aroma in high street !
It’s good that the supermarkets put something back into the locality rather than just take take take (although I’ve always perceived Waitrose did less of that than others).
It’ll be interesting to see how busy the OG Costa gets, the one in the Market Place is quite often at maximum capacity so I guess it’s feasible, a lot will depend on whether or not people want to walk another 200m away from the centre of town. Also if you were looking at opening a cafe/restaurant at the former chandlery on the bridge would you now do so?
And Barbers… does the town need yet another or is he moving and closing the existing shop?
I suspect lots of people will use a costa by the river – sensible move on their part as not that much competition for river users up there
Indeed Ian, but apart from attracting the seasonal river users I think they’ll do a healthy trade from the towns workforce who park “over the bridge” and will use them for a before work coffee and on the way home too? Then there’s the occupants of the gaol who will pop in for a daily coffee,
Talking to the guys in the chandlery they say there are still no takers for the cafe/restaurant there, what’s more they don’t expect any takers till next season? Greene King seem to chucking money at the Broad Face, a top to bottom inside out refurb is taking place which would suggest they have something special linned up? In Marlow last week Tom Kerridges “Hand & Flowers” (which has a two month lead time fir bookings and lunch for two will set you back £170) has a very subtle Greene King sign over the door? Wishful thinking or what?
And the big Superdrug, don’t forget the big Superdrug… People will be parking at Rye Farm to get to our anchor store, so they may grab a coffee on route too?