Store owners and shoppers in Ruddington have described the independent local shops as the "central heart" of the village. They have praised how supportive everyone is towards each other.
In the Nottinghamshire village, shoppers can find a range of independent shops. These include the Honeycomb charity shop, Philos, Jaspers Cafe, the Ruddington Fish Bar and the Bottle Top.
Joy Chamberlain, 62, works at Pet Pantry on High Street. She highlighted how much the community is there for one another.
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She said: "It's very busy, the biggest customer base is dogs. The dogs loved to be pulled in by their owners, especially on a hot day when the door is open.
"Everyone supports another. Everyone is here to help you out - it is really good.
"In terms of needs, shops are pretty self-sufficient. A lot of the Ruddington residents are 'shop local' minded. A lot of the customers say it's amazing how much we have got in the square."
Joy added: "It's just a very nice community. I don't think you could ever be lonely in Ruddington.
"There will always be someone to look out for you. I don't think any other village has got this central heart to them - here we have a central hub which is really warm and supportive."
Zoe Parton is manager of the Honeycomb, a Christian charity shop located on Church Street. It has been running for 37 years.
Zoe said: "It's a charity called the Saved to Serve Trust. We sell all sorts. Our money goes to help relieve poverty and meet need. We've got a broad range on how we can help people - we help confidential cases and help the bigger things. We do have a lot of people come and some just chat - it’s not about the money. We are just really happy to spend more time chatting.
"With the staff, I'm the only paid person, everyone else volunteers here. We have a range of people - there’s a few with disabilities, we support Duke of Edinburgh students. It’s great - it’s not just about the customers, we support the staff as well. I've lived here for a long time - it's a really warm and friendly community. There's a very sort of village feel about it which is great. It's just lovely, it's just small enough to go to the shops."
Manager of the Grange, a newsagent which also serves hot and cold food, Daniel Pepper, 26 said: "We're all quite good with each other. Anything that helps each other out. We have a lot of regulars.
“The odd customer will want something ordered and we will sort that. Our main special is the hot roast joints. We do breakfast all day, it's just limited late in the day. It’s a friendly village."
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