We are really nearly there!
I know we’ve been saying this for a while,in fact we were starting to flag a bit ourselves. However after many nail biting weeks of negotiation, you would think we were planning a superstore with a sky high block of flats attached, it looks like an agreement has been reached and we ‘should’ be in a position to move in properly and plan our renovations by the end of next week.
The fantastic news is that Helen and Chloe received a phone call on Friday to say the Core grant and loan have been approved!!!!! The money is ours and is a huge boost to morale as well as funds. Helen took that call in a meeting for another grant with a possible £18,000 at stake. This looks promising but we will not take it for granted (!!) until we hear from them, which should be later in the month. We have also applied for a grant through Mole Valley, which after all the delays and obstructions we have had with their planning department, would make us feel a great deal happier with them if we receive it. That will be announced in November.
So all the hard work is starting to pay off and The Shop at Strood Green is inching towards a Grand Opening sometime in the New Year.
In the meantime, we are planning a pumpkin fest. We are hoping to sell pumpkins from Richard Ramsden’s smallholding at the shop on October 25th, with judging of the best carved one on the 30th October. So look out for further details in the shop window.
Read more about the Shop at Strood Green