The Countryside Agency is awarding grants to village shop owners to help preserve the rural way of life. Jane Kirby meets one beneficiary.

THE Laughton Village Post Office Store has stood in Lewes Road for more than a hundred years.

With its pretty garden and well-stocked shelves, the shop has always been a valuable meeting place for the 530 people who live in the village.

Without the shop, many people believe the community spirit would die.

Laughton's nearest shopping centres and high streets are six miles east in Hailsham or six miles west in Lewes.

Just three buses a day pass through the village and the nearest post office is four miles away.

Robert Reece, who runs the shop with his wife Ami, says it is an essential part of village life.

He said: "People come here and stand and chat after they have completed their shopping.

"The shop is a hive of activity and people think it's a very important part of the community."

Mr Reece believes he faces little competition from larger supermarkets and shops.

He insists that business is booming because people like good old-fashioned service.

He said: "Lots of people like to be able to come here and browse and many rely on us for everything.

"Lots of people, especially the older ones, do not want to go round supermarkets.

"They like personal service and are turned off by the pressure they feel in supermarkets."

The post office is thriving, with local business people using it for postage and banking.

Mr Reece said: "We're not under threat like the urban post offices are. In fact I think the government are very keen to keep village post offices open."

Nevertheless, Mr Reece is determined to keep improving the shop and wants to draw people from every age group.

He has just received a grant from The Countryside Agency, whose aim is to help communities preserve their rural way of life.

The agency has offered £16,292 and the money is being used to convert the shop's stock room into a place where residents can meet.

Inside, there will be a computer with internet access, a printer, scanner and fax machine.

Tables and chairs have been bought so people can sit down for a cup of coffee and new flooring is about to be laid.

Shelving will be used to display local finds and history books as well as a toy and book exchange.

Mr Reece is also installing a new oven in the shop to cook fresh food. A chiller cabinet will hold local produce, including baked hams and eggs.

This healthy-looking business is a far cry from how the shop and post office were ten years ago.

Back in 1992, the then owners closed the shop and post office for personal reasons.

They were greatly missed by the villagers, who felt they had lost a necessary service but also a place where they enjoyed a chat.

Residents got together with members of the Parish Council and formed the Laughton Village Shop Association to re-open the shop.

One member provided money for the initial purchase and residents were asked to help by providing interest-free loans.

The association took over the property and its members agreed to pay the mortgage by renting out the shop, an upstairs flat and nearby garage.

The strategy worked and in 1995 the shop re-opened.

Since then, it has grown in strength and Mr Reece believes the days of struggling are over.

He said: "Those days have definitely gone now. The shop is run properly and I know what my customers want.

"Not all village shops are struggling. Those that prosper know what they are doing.

"The changes we are making to the stock room will be an integral part of the shop and we think it has real potential.

"We are keeping it going as a meeting point and this is very much what the community wants.

"We have survived this long and we will continue to survive.

"We just get busier and busier."

Association member Carol Foster said the grant was applied for after a village survey found there was demand for computer facilities.

She said: "We think these improvements will make a big difference to how we all use the shop and bring in extra business."

David Hammond from the Countryside Agency said the makeover in Laughton showed how communities can thrive.

He said: "Smaller communities in rural areas are a vital part of the fabric of our countryside.

"But village communities need help to ensure they prosper and maintain diversity in the age groups and social backgrounds of the people who live in them.

"Our focus is on helping local people take stock of their position and the problems they face and take action on these to shape their future.

"Laughton's shop is an innovative example of what can be done and brings new facilities to the people who live there."