There is no better place to feel the community spirit than the local community shop - like cogs in a wheel, every worker has a small but important role to play.

The 40 devoted volunteers who run the Langham Community Shop know first hand how vital their service is to the village.

The shop opened back in 2004 after two long years of fundraising triggered by the closure of the old village shop and post office.

The shop has grown steadily throughout the years from a mobile cabin, to its fixed premises adjoining Langham Community Centre in 2011.

The place looks like a mini supermarket and offers a variety of products, including a post office two days a week.

“We are amazing. It’s like Aladdin’s cave when you walk in there,” said Gillian Flack.

“We have local produce, local honey, sandwiches and baguettes.

“We offer a dry cleaning service and have a little boutique.”

Gillian, 68, of Langham, has been involved with the shop since the beginning and is now the chairwoman of the management committee.

She explains the nearest shops for people in Langham are Dedham’s Co-op and Highwood’s Tesco.

Head - chairwoman Gillian Flack, 68, of Lamgham, welcoming John Palmer of Palmer and Partners as sponsors of the shop in January 2017

Head - chairwoman Gillian Flack, 68, of Lamgham, welcoming John Palmer of Palmer and Partners as sponsors of the shop in January 2017

But the community shop “brought back the life to the village” and is now the glue that keeps everyone together.

Gillian said: “It just a good place for someone to go who needs a little bit of shopping but also needs a friendly face.

“We have many volunteers who nearly all are local people who live and work in the village.

“Many people find us after they retire and offer their service as a volunteer which helps them ease into village life if they have been working away.

“We really feel we are offering a service – we are not that far off from Colchester but we have a very limited bus service.

“We have everything in Langham and that really gives you pleasure.”

But running the shop has not always been plain sailing.

Community - volunteers saying goodbye to Jane Morton who was the shop manager until July 2018

Community - volunteers saying goodbye to Jane Morton who was the shop manager until July 2018

The pandemic meant the shop lost many members of its staff due to shielding and had to make the painful decision to close its doors for 12 weeks.

But even during those challenging times there were 14 volunteers working hard behind closed doors and taking telephone orders.

Gillian added: “We’ve got a lot of rivals locally so we have to do appraisals continuously.

“We need to keep our customers coming in because we still have our bills to pay and prices are increasing everywhere.

“But we never want to overcharge our customers because we all live and work here.

“When I go in tomorrow there will be another challenge that I won’t even know about yet!”

The community shop has recently received a £1,000 grant from the Hopkins Plunkett Communities scheme, which will be used to replace its current computer system.

Gillian said: “We have an electronic till that helps us see what we are selling, the profits margins, the turnover.

“It is much easier for our volunteers to work on the till.

“So having a good computer system is absolutely invaluable to our business.

“Our last computer that is probably six or seven-years-old is now coming to the end of its life.

“We couldn’t function without good IT background so we are very fortunate they gave us the grant.”

Just like its computer system, the shop wouldn’t be able to exist without the volunteers who generously give their time for free.

They are welcome to spend as much or as little time as they want working, even if that means once a week or month.

Gillian added: “We have learned a lot and it has been very challenging.

“The shop has been such a great thing for Langham and it is very rewarding to be involved.”

To become a volunteer, visit langhamcommunityshop.org.uk.