Lancing Village Action shop looks for new premises as lease ends

Adur Voluntary Action has been based in the high street for the last five years, thanks to a deal with a generous landlord.

Volunteer coordinator Sarah Leeding said about the move: “It’s a shame because of what we do there for the community.

“It’s such a vital place.”

The shop hosts a food bank, in which volunteers are also able to signpost recipients towards specialist services.

Volunteers answer queries from residents and advertise groups and organisations for people to get involved with.

“We always offer a cup of tea and see what we can do to help,” said Sarah, who has worked at the organisation for eight years.

Around 15 volunteers give their time to helping out at the shop, open every Tuesday and Thursday, the first Saturday of the month and every other Wednesday.

“There’s a comraderie to it all and volunteers have made lovely friendships,” she said.

“We are very thankful for the support of Lancing Parish Council and all the volunteers.”

Adrian Barritt, chief officer at Adur Voluntary Action, said the shop had become a ‘well established part of the community’.

“It’s been built up from almost nothing.

“Now, it’s busy nearly all the time,” he said.

The parish council use the premises twice a month and it has also been used to hold consultations on behalf of the county council and health exhibitions from Clinical Commissioning Groups.

Mr Barritt hopes to be able to find ‘something similar’ to their current arrangement.

“The key thing is the good footfall here,” he said.

“Ideally we would find somewhere else in North Road.”

He wonders whether any owners with empty premises in the village may be interested, because it would save them from paying business rates.

But he warned if nowhere suitable was found, the initiative could be forced to go ‘into limbo’.

“We want to keep it rolling,” he said. “If you have a hiatus, you have less enthusiasm.”

He said Lancing Parish Council had given its ‘full support’ to relocating the voluntary action group.

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