Glenkerie Wind Farm Fund supports village store transformation
The Upper Tweed community has celebrated a major milestone with the official re-opening of the expanded and modernised Broughton Village Store.
The transformation was supported by a £50,000 grant from the Nadara Glenkerie Wind Farm Community Fund, which was awarded back in March 2023. The grant proved instrumental in helping to secure the shop's future as a thriving community-owned enterprise, and it officially re-opened at the end of May.
The project saw the village shop expand in size to 60 square metres of retail space, creating a brighter, more welcoming environment with a much broader range of products and improved customer service. Having closed its doors in March 2018, the shop is now reopened, bigger and better and, perhaps most importantly, as a community-owned asset serving over 3,000 customers monthly.
The revamp of the shop has been driven by Upper Tweed Community Enterprises (UTCE), which was established in 2018 specifically to manage the £258,000 revamp project. The community-owned entity is supported by 250 local people who have invested through community share offers. By temporarily relocating the shop to Village Hall Cottage, they managed to maintain retail operations during construction of the new-look shop.
Staff and volunteers now work in much better conditions, and the improved energy efficiency through better insulation and photovoltaic panels helps reduce operational costs, contributing to long-term sustainability.
The shop continues to serve as an important community hub, opening seven days a week and with monthly sales exceeding £30,000. The business model remains strong, with income covering all operational costs without requiring ongoing revenue support from external funders.
Beyond retail provision, the shop also provides essential services including delivery of purchases to remote or vulnerable residents, supported by the Welfare Fund that helps those struggling financially. and even purchases ingredients for the local primary school breakfast club.
Bill Sheridan, Chair for UTCE said:
Thanks to support from Nadara Glenkerie Wind, combined with our successful share issues and additional grant funding, we were able to transform our shop from a primitive rear extension into a proper community hub. The success of our two share issues demonstrates the vital importance of this shop to our local community, the shop serves as a genuine lifeline for local residents. We completed this essential extension project in December 2024, and remain deeply grateful to Nadara Glenkerie Wind for their funding support in helping us maintain a more sustainable community hub.
Erin Murchie, Community Relations Manager for Nadara Glenkerie Wind Farm Community Fund, said:
We're delighted to see how the Nadara Glenkerie Fund investment has helped secure the long-term future of this vital community service. The success of Broughton Village Store exemplifies the transformative impact that strategic community investment can have on rural sustainability. Seeing a project that transformed from a closed business to a thriving community asset serving 3,000 customers monthly, demonstrates the multiplier effect of well-targeted community funding. This isn't just about retail space; it's about preserving the social fabric of rural communities and ensuring essential services remain accessible to residents across the Upper Tweed area.
Niome Lucjan, Community Funds Adviser at Foundation Scotland, said:
The Broughton Village Shop extension represents an excellent example of community-led development in rural Scotland. The £50,000 Nadara Glenkerie Fund award was instrumental in making this transformation possible, providing the confidence and leverage for additional community investment and other funding applications.
The Fund is open to applications on a quarterly basis. The next deadline for community organisations is 17 July 2025.
Read more about the fund here.