A Sussex village shop said to be at the heart of its local community has been named the best in the UK as part of an awards ceremony dubbed the 'Rural Oscars'.

Fittleworth Village Stores in West Sussex won the category at the 2024 Countryside Alliance Awards which revealed their national winners on Tuesday (June 25).

Earlier in the year it won Best Village Shop in the South East of England as part of the awards, which meant they got to compete at the national champions reception at the House of Lords.

In a post on their X (formerly known as Twitter) page, the Countryside Alliance Awards shared: "The winner of the village shop category is …. Fittleworth Village Stores in West Sussex. In addition to being at the heart of the local community, their Fittleworth Food Angels service provides support to vulnerable households."

Fittleworth Village Stores wins Best Village Shop in the UK

On its website, Fittleworth Village Stores describes itself as "a community-owned and run shop, café and post office in the beautiful South Downs National Park".

Describing what they offer, it says: "Our shop carries a wide range of local produce and reasonably priced general groceries (including household items and over-the-counter medicines), together with newspapers.

"We are keen to support local farms and businesses so we are proud to stock produce from over 30 local suppliers. We also stock a range of local pottery and art."

Alongside that, they have a Post Office counter and a cafe which offers sandwiches, snacks, cakes, breakfast baps and much more.

The store has earned plenty of positive reviews from customers, with it having a 4./5 score on Google Reviews from 25 ratings.

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One reviewer wrote: "What an amazing place! A treasure trove full of household basics, treats and gifts with a post office and cafe."

Another shared: "Excellent well-stocked shop with great quality products. Staff very friendly and provides first class service. Great cafe."

Meanwhile, another wrote: "Spectacular food, excellent coffee, efficient and polite service in the cafe and a most comprehensive local shop."