See below an article from this week’s East Lothian Courier:
by Bryan CoplandTHE future of an up-for-sale Dunbar fruit and veg shop, descibed as a “cornerstone of the High Street”, could be secured if a new community-backed buy-out gets the go-ahead. Crunchy Carrot, 43 High Street, has been put on the market by its three bosses, after nearly 11 years in the town.
The owners – Chris Eden, Jo Gibson, and Sarah Wall – plan to move on to pastures new, but a group backed by members of environmental organisation Sustaining Dunbar has launched a bid to take over the running of the business, and is looking at options for funding and running it as a social enterprise.
And if the plan gets the green light, it could become the second community-backed culinary project to grace the town’s High Street – with a separate group working towards opening a community bakery nearby.
Janet Barnes, a Dunbar-based consultant, has been appointed to help the new group form a business plan. It has already received a £10,000 grant from the Big Lottery to help develop proposals to buy the business. Janet told the Courier that there had been “overwhelming” support for saving the much-loved business, which gives custom to many county-based food producers.
The group now hopes an application for funding to the Big Lottery Growing Community Assets Fund will be successful, which could help it promote a number of community initiatives, including healthy eating, home deliveries and working with local schools and allotments.
Ms Barnes said: “A lot of us in the Dunbar community think Crunchy Carrot is much more than a fruit and vegetable shop – it’s a cornerstone of the high street. It’s a well-known local resource, and we are very keen it stays a community shop that supplies local produce, bought locally, and organic products.”
The group – comprising about 12 members – believes the business could start making money under its leadership immediately, with profits being ploughed back into the community. Ms Barnes estimated up to £250,000 could be needed to fund the project over three years. A buy-out would see the group take over both the business and its premises, while it is the group’s intention to keep current staff on the pay roll.
A spokesperson for the current shop management said they were in full support of the buy-out plan. “It’s a great idea,” said the spokesperson. “It would be wonderful if it was a sort of community shop. It might encourage other applications for other similar community projects, so we feel very positive about it.”
