Village store bridges a gap

A Peak District chief has welcomed the arrival of a village store that will bridge the gap between rural living and access to amenities.
Opening a shop in Warslow for the first time in  many years, Darren and Liz Barlow with their sons Oliver and JoshuaOpening a shop in Warslow for the first time in  many years, Darren and Liz Barlow with their sons Oliver and Joshua
Opening a shop in Warslow for the first time in many years, Darren and Liz Barlow with their sons Oliver and Joshua

Jim Dixon, chief executive of the Peak District National Park Authority, will officially open Gap Farm Shop and Village Store, in Warslow, on Saturday.

The new business, owned by Darren and Liz Barlow, will be the first shop to open in the village for many years, providing locals with access to everyday items such as bread and milk as well as a good selection of local produce.

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Mr Dixon said: ““I think it’s fantastic that at a time when so many village and rural shops are closing that Darren and Liz have decided to open up a new village shop.

“I’m absolutely thrilled that the national park authority has been able to support this in one of our properties. It helps the Warslow Estate build a brand as a thriving rural estate, with the many other successful farm, holiday and food businesses, and it will help the people of Warslow and the many visitors to the area.

“I wish Darren and Liz the very best of luck and I am sure that their hard work will pay off with a great family business which will be an asset to the Warslow Estate and the village of Warslow.””

The store will be situated on Gap Farm, in Leek Road, which is a working farm run by Darren himself. The store will be run by Liz.

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Darren said: “We will be selling our own beef and our own free range eggs and we’re trying to source everything that we sell as locally as possible and hopefully go from there.”

The store will be open seven days a week, from 8.30am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5pm Saturday and 9am to 4pm Sunday.

It will sell local meats and dairy, bread, newspapers, ice creams, sweets and general grocery items.

“There hasn’t been a shop in Warslow for a long time,” Darren continued. “We hope if it takes off we could have a mobile post office a couple times a week and we’d like to open a tea rooms in the future.”

Further information on Gap Farm Shop and Village Store is available by visiting www.gapfarm.co.uk or calling 01298 84820.