Owned and operated by East Boldre Community Stores Limited, Community Benefit Society
2022 Survey Results
Is Saving the Shop important?
93% of survey respondents thought it very important to keep a shop in the village.
91% thought saving the Post Office important
Do you support our plans for the chapel?
88% of respondents support our plans to acquire the chapel as premises for a community shop.
Of those that didn't
6% - parking and additional traffic in chapel lane were a concern
2% - wanted the shop to stay where it is or didn't think the chapel a suitable building
1% - mpact on the graves
1% - chapel not on Main Rd
2% - did not explain their response
Own transport?
Survey responses fairly closely reflect census data for East Boldre parish
Of those respondents without their own transport
14% - under 18
14% - over 65
72% - 26 - 40 age group
Opening Times?
The exisiting shop shuts from 1:30 - 3:30pm. About 38% of people said they would use shop in this period.
Our plans for lunchtime opening aim to capture this potentially missed trade.
Getting to the shop?
The survey responses indicate that the majority would walk to the shop.
Demographics
East Boldre parish has 378 households (11% are second homes) and a population of approx 830 people.
16% - 0 - 18 years
62% - 19 - 65
22% - 66+
Over the last 20 years the population has decreased by roughly 10%.
In general the population is aging:
0.5% annual increase in those over 66
0.7% annual decrease in 19-39 age group
Neighbouring Beaulieu parish (for a significant part of which East Boldre provides the nearest Post Office and shop) has a population of 1102.
East Boldre is a beautiful place to live and in general has very good levels of health and employment being in the top 10% nationally.
However, it is in the bottom 2.7% neighbourhoods nationally in terms of barriers to housing and services, as a result of high house prices and few local services. Thie decline in services locally is a recurring theme in East Boldre's oral history project.
It is also officially in the bottom 0.2% of neighbourhoods nationally in terms of living environment depreviation.
With just a skeleton bus service, those living in the 9% of households with no vehicle rely of the shop and Post Office for day to day essential goods and services.