THE heart of a traditional village is said to be its church pub and shop, but for over a decade Trellech has been without a store – until now.

About four years ago Neil and Joanne Maltby bought the building that had been used as a shop with the intention of it being their family home, with the old Post Office part being used as a children's playroom.

Neil explained that as soon as the family moved in everybody in the village was asking 'when were they going to re-open the shop?'

Neil added: "Now the children no longer need a playroom, it has become a dumping ground and when somebody asked me about re-opening the shop back in the spring, we felt that the time was right and it was something that we could do.

"I know from experience that if you run out of milk at an inconvenient moment it can be a time-consuming business going into a neighbouring town to get fresh supplies."

The couple have spent the last few weeks renovating the shop and sourcing local suppliers for meats, cakes and a variety of other produce.

Amid the buzz of the village, the shop opened last week and the first customer was Rev Sandra Howells, the vicar of Trellech.

Joanne said that they had self-financed the project and even asked a local man and former signwriter to make a sign to go above the door.

She added: "We've only been open a few days, but word is getting around that we are here and it seems the community are responding by supporting us in this venture."