A royal visitor for the Community Store

Sophie, Countess of Wessex visited the Godalming Community Store last week - her fourth visit since the store opened.

The store, at the Wilfrid Noyce Centre, is run by Godalming Town Council and volunteers from the Godalming and Farncombe Coronavirus Assistance Group.

It first opened its doors on 20th April 2020, and since then has provided 32,319 days' worth of food, and supported 2,673 adults and 1,944.

The store offers free basic foodstuffs, including fresh and frozen produce, and personal hygiene, sanitary and domestic cleaning items. 

It is supported by Godalming Town Council and many local businesses, as well as the people who organise collection hubs, and donate items to keep the shelves stocked.

The Countess dropped in on Trolley Tuesday, the store's busiest day, when donations arrive from the trollies placed around Godalming, Farncombe and surrounding villages.

She helped to unload, sort and check the donations before joining volunteers in placing them on the shelves.

While there, she met some of the store users and people taking in donations, as well as thanking staff and volunteers for their hard work.

Visit the town council website to find out how to access the store, and for details of Trolley Tuesday collection points.