In December 2001 the village shop and post office in the parish of Exbourne with Jacobstowe in rural West Devon closed and was sold as a private dwelling. This meant that villagers would have to make a journey of at least 5 miles each way to reach the nearest town for shops and services.
Early in 2002 following a public meeting to discuss the closure of the community's only store and post office, the Exbourne Community Initiative Committee was formed. The original mandate of the organisation was to try and re-establish a shop - a community-run shop - possibly with additional facilities alongside it. The great importance of such activities in safeguarding the quality of village life was keenly recognised and the initiative was supported by the vast majority of local residents.
The Association quickly established a temporary shop, cafe and post office in Exbourne's village hall, opening 2 mornings a week and run (with the exception of the Post Office section) by volunteers. This facility has now been running for 4 years and has proved to be an extremely successful social enterprise.
The Burrow was formed in 2012 after several years of planning, obtaining funding and building the shop itself. It represents a huge achievement that has involved many in the local community, to provide a vital Centre for the community that delivers retail and selected services, a location exchange, and small-scale evening leisure activities out of retail hours, which is run by the community for the benefit of the communities of Exbourne, Jacobstowe and surrounding villages.
The project is not for profit: any surplus will be used to maintain and enhance the enterprise or for community services in the village. The building is as environmentally neutral in construction and use is as practically possible and provides an outlet for local food products and crafts. The cafe provides a community meeting place and village focal point.
Shop Cafe & Post Office