RESIDENTS of Hewelsfield and Brockweir have reaffirmed their support for a new village shop, a project which has recently come in for some criticism.

However the message is that everything is on course for starting work before Christmas – which is welcome news for people like Catherine Morris, 87, who can no longer use her car and has to rely on the goodwill of others to visit a shop.

Miss Morris, a former schools inspector, said she was lucky to have neighbours willing to help. "Without them it would be impossible," she said, adding there would be many in a similar position in and around the village.

Which is just the sort of situation the Brockweir and Hewelsfield Village Shop Project was conceived to answer – along with several other issues it addresses.

One is the fact that people passing one another in cars destroys everyone's sense of community – they don't stop and talk.

There is more to the project than just a shop, the organisers are keen to point out, which means critics are simply missing the point.

In fact it's an outlet for local producers, an internet cafe where mums can overlook a playing area and chat, a great example of modern energy-saving building using local materials – it goes on and on, they say, but above all it's a community effort that has had to meet all sorts of checks on its way to landing the £315,000 in grants which are now enabling it to go ahead.

Shop committee vice chairman Michael Lenthall says: "The grants from DEFRA, the Forest of Dean district council, the Countryside Agency and many others are an investment to restore a village amenity with profits going back into the community.

"All the major funding agencies were convinced of the need for the village shop and the viability of the project."

Of over 50 similar projects around the country only one had failed he said, and his committee had been very conservative in drawing up its business plan. Criticism on the grounds that Brockweir's Triangle shop had closed – starting up the idea of a new shop – failed to mention that it was making a profit when sold.

"The original shop committee survey shows that 73 per cent of the poll voted in favour of building a new shop, cafe and playing field," said Mr Lenthall.

"The village has been behind the project from day one with £7,000 being raised through community events, and £15,000 so far has been raised by villagers investing in shop bonds."

He said he and his committee had to question the motives of the few who oppose a scheme which just about every rural village in Britain would welcome with open arms.

"We are looking forward to the day when the shop doors open," he said.