Huw Merriman, MP for the Bexhill and Battle constituency, has put his full support behind Netherfield Village Shop, Café and Post Office’s nomination for a Countryside Alliance Award ‘Rural Oscar’.
The Countryside Alliance Awards, nicknamed the ‘Rural Oscars’, were borne of a need to support and promote rural communities. They celebrate people going the extra mile to ensure that rural Britain’s food and farming industry, small businesses, traditional skills, forward-thinking enterprises and, most of all, its people, can flourish.
Netherfield Community Shop, Café and Post Office has been nominated by its customers for the ‘Rural Oscar’. Huw recently visited Janette McAuley and her daughter Nichola who run the business to both congratulate and support their nomination. He was joined by Battle Town Councillor for Netherfield ward, Cllr Hazel Sharman.
Janette has been running the shop and Post Office in Netherfield for 32 years. She has faced some challenging times but has always worked hard to ensure that the local community retains its essential local shop and Post Office and remains at the heart of the local community. Her shop not only serves the community of Netherfield but also Penhurst, Brightling, Dallington, and Mountfield which have no local shops.
During the conversion from a salaried Post Office to the commission-based Post Office Local model, Janette and Nichola added a successful local café to their business and now run popular community events such as music and comedy nights as well as charity fundraisers. Battle Town Council awarded them a Covid Star for their outstanding service to the community during the pandemic which was presented by the County’s Deputy Lord Lieutenant.
Huw said "I have visited Netherfield Community Shop and Post Office a number of times during my days in the constituency. Every customer gets a warm welcome and there is just about everything you could need packed into this small shop as well as a Post Office which can carry out banking transactions for customers. This is especially important for rural communities when the high street banks close their branches and we lose cash points in local towns, like nearby Battle. I am so pleased that Netherfield shop’s customers have nominated Janette, Nichola and their team for a Countryside Alliance Award. They really are at the heart of the community and go that extra mile to support local residents. I would to encourage all their customers and friends to support their nomination so they can bring this well-deserved award home to Netherfield.”
Cllr Hazel Sharman said “I can think of no more worthy nomination than this as, without question, Janette and Nichola have established more than a shop. it has become the indispensable hub of Netherfield and surrounding communities.”
Owner Janette McAuley added “Here at Netherfield Shop & Cafe we are in a good place to bring together local business, service and produce for our customers to “Shop Local', who in turn not only support us, but they support the whole local community ensuring we all succeed. Thank you to everyone involved, we are extremely proud to be nominated for the Rural Oscars.”
To nominate a rural business for a Countryside Alliance Award visit https://www.countryside-alliance.org/our-work/rural-awards/caawards/nominate
