Excitement is mounting for Hawkesbury Horticultural Show this weekend! The numerous shiny trophies are now on
display in the Stores, and the ‘big red box’ of entries was pretty full by Wednesday.
Show Day and the bank holiday bring with them altered – and reduced – 
opening hours on Saturday and Monday, but there’s also good news about long-term lunchtime opening below.
Hawkesbury Stores depends on your support so please do shop with us, volunteer with us, and tell your friends about us.
Here’s the latest news…
No-fish fortnight:
Sales of fresh fish outside the Stores each week have been very popular. The fishmonger is now on a summer break until Wednesday 7 September, when he’ll be back in his regular slot of 10.50-11.20am.
Opening Hours:
We’re delighted to announce that from Monday 5 September we will officially begin to open during the 1-2pm lunch hour, so your Stores will be open 7am-6pm Monday-Saturday (7am-12.30pm Sundays).
This weekend the Stores will be closing at 1pm on Show Day and we’ll open 9-11am on Bank Holiday Monday.
You can always check the latest opening hours on our website.
Card Payments:
The card payment machine has been installed after weeks of discussions with the supplier!
You can now pay for your groceries by credit or debit card, with a £5 minimum spend, and you can use contactless payment for transactions up to £30.
Product ranges:
New products are still appearing every week. For example, in the past month we’ve introduced new curry sauces by Holy Cow! and several new soft drinks ranges including the extremely popular Cawston Press varieties. We now stock sausages from France Lane Farm, and artisan breads from Hobbs House Bakery. And, in time for Show Day entries, our baking range is now more extensive.
Last week we launched an Ecover Laundry liquid refill system. Simply bring a measurable container and fill it at £3.25 per litre – that’s cheaper than Tesco!
New wines:
Wine-drinkers should take a look at our new-look range, curated by local supplier Emma Roberts. You’ll even find tasting notes in-store for several of the new wines!
Emma – who lives in Hawkesbury – is an internationally-renowned wine expert, and we recently published a fascinating interview with her.
Volunteering:
Fifty-five volunteers now work regularly in the Stores, and we expect a few more to join us as we settle back into the term-time rhythm. Volunteers tell us they enjoy their time in the Stores, and we appreciate all their efforts.
We need at least one person to take on coordination of the volunteer rota, so please get in touch if you’re a well-organised ‘people person’ and would like to find out more about this essential role.
Generosity:
The Stores is community-owned, but the running of it has also been such a big team effort. Just this week we put a request on Facebook for various small items of equipment needed for efficient running of the shop.
Within 24 hours a flood of printer paper, files, clipboards, labels, dividers, staplers, telephones, pinboards and a filing cabinet had been offered – for free – by people around the village. This generosity and goodwill comes on top of all the volunteer labour and expertise that has been donated by so many.
Thank you, everyone!
Best wishes from everyone at Hawkesbury Stores.
