Two women have taken over the helm of their village store and brought a buzz back to the community.

Business partners Helen Weckerle and Julie Dewar unveiled the revamped Village Shop in Great Barrow last month.

Helen and Julie gave local resident Tim Healey the ribbon-cutting honours for his support for the new venture.

Championing local produce, the shop has daily deliveries of fresh meat from Sheaf Farm and bread from Harrisons Bakery in Tarporley.

Helen and Julie, who both live in Great Barrow, spent six weeks refurbishing the shop, after it had been closed for four months.

Helen said: “We are doing really well and we have had lots of support.

“People are delighted we’ve reopened it. The village was becoming a bit of a ghost town, with the pub closing and the social club under threat.

“There are lots of elderly people and young mums in the village, and there is no bus service.

“Our community really did need a shop. So we stepped up.”

The Village Shop is open from 7am-8pm Monday to Friday, 7am-6pm on Saturdays and 8am-noon on Sundays.