Cotherstone Old Chapel Project: Reinvigorating village life with a community‑owned business
By coming together to save a local shop, villagers in County Durham are breathing new life into their community.
With a population of around 600 and famous for its cheese, Cotherstone is set on the River Tees, four miles from Barnard Castle.
Like many villages, there are few amenities, so when the local shop was closing down, the residents rallied to save it. But they went one better and combined it with a café too.
“We wanted to fulfil the need for a village shop. That has expanded as we’ve gone on, so it’s now a café, shop and a bit of a community hub with social aspects to it as well,” said Cotherstone resident Chris Tarpey.
With the purchase of the original shop premises ruled out, Chris and a group of other locals set their sights on a disused Methodist chapel. After some negotiation, a purchase was agreed. To buy the property and eventually run the shop and café, the group set up Cotherstone Old Chapel Project – a community benefit society (CBS).
The team then began to raise finance, which included issuing community share offers. To launch their first offer in September 2021, they received a development grant of £6,700 from the Community Shares Booster Fund, delivered by the Community Shares Unit at Co-operatives UK.
“Thanks to the Booster Fund support, when we came to launch our second share offer, we knew what we were doing, so it was a lot easier and we did a lot of marketing ourselves.”
Their first share offer closed in November 2021, having raised £115,000 from 280 investor members. Along with funding from the county council, this enabled the team to complete the purchase and turn the chapel into a shop and café.
A second share offer was launched in November 2023 to strengthen the shop’s financial position and raise funds to help with further building re-development. When it closed in January 2024, it had raised just under £15,000 from investors and £15,000 in match equity investment from the Community Shares Booster Fund.
“The match funding was great – it gave us confidence in our financial position and meant we could push ahead,” said Chris.
The shop and café eventually opened its doors in June 2024. “It’s going great and the café is doing really well,” said Chris. “We’ve had positive feedback from local residents. Some of those who were initially sceptical have now changed their minds and can see how it’s benefitting the village.
“It’s quite a touristy area, with people staying in nearby cottages and caravan parks. We’re on walking routes, so we were confident that we’d get enough trade for a café – and that has proved to be the case so far.
“We’re also getting a lot of locals coming in and we have lots of ideas for setting up social groups like a book club and knitting group. We’ve already had groups visiting. A wildflower walk group come for tea, cake and a chat after their walks.”
As well as offering a focal point and meeting space, the shop and café provide employment to local people – and volunteering opportunities too.
“We’ve got a combination of young people who’ve finished school or are back from university – and older people who want something part‑time and really believe in what we’re doing. It works well having a combination of youth and experience.
“We have a team of volunteer bakers who produce a lot of the cakes for us, which go down very well. We also have a volunteer building team, with quite a few retired people who have amazing skills that they’ve brought to the project, which is why we do quite a lot ourselves.”
“We have another team of volunteers who help out in the shop and café too. The volunteers enjoy the social side of things. We try to make the chapel a good place to work and volunteer – and people enjoy it.”
After things getting off a to great start, Chris is positive for the future. He explains why it was important for him to bring the Cotherstone Old Chapel Project to fruition:
“I’ve been involved with similar groups elsewhere and I’ve always believed in communities doing things for themselves – and the benefits of bringing people together to achieve good things.
“I didn’t want to see the village lose the shop. Others that have, soon became deserts, with very little going. We weren’t near that stage but it’s still great for everyone in the village to have something like this.”
Apply to the Booster Fund
About community shares
Flo’s – the happy place in the park that’s a community-owned success story
Kingsley Holt Centre: Saving a vital social space that connects the community
Heptonstall Post Office: Saving the ‘beating heart’ of a Yorkshire village
