TWO months after buying a former chapel to convert it into a community shop, cafe and heritage centre, a community benefit society has opened a mini-store.
Cotherstone Old Chapel project bought the chapel in May thanks to £180,000 from Durham County Council.
Since then, the volunteer group has been organising contracts for building work and has set up a mini-shop in the chapel foyer selling ice creams, drinks and sweets.
“Footfall has been good,” Chris Tarpey, chairman of the Old Chapel Project, said when he updated members of the parish council.
“We didn’t want to promote it much when we first opened as we didn’t want people standing and waiting outside.”
The doors to the chapel have also been painted a vibrant green to show a visible change, he added.
Mr Tarpey said: “Roofers are expected to start in September. We have a detailed plan and believe the money is enough to open a cafe.
“Timescale-wise it depends on builders, but realistically it is looking like next year. We have opened a mini-shop in the foyer selling drinks, sweets and ice creams.”
It is hoped volunteers will be able to help with some of the work such as lifting and removing floorboards before a new suspended floor and insulation are installed.
The group is looking to host its annual general meeting soon when a new committee will be elected.
Mr Tarpey said: “We want to encourage new people to join the committee as the more the merrier. During the last few years the work has been applying for grant funding. Now it is quite exciting times ahead and the work will be more visible.
“The mini-shop will remain open but it depends on the work. We are not trying to make it a proper shop yet.”
Chairman Cllr Vince Bendin said: “It is fair to say the parish council want to congratulate you on what you have achieved in a short space of time since the purchase.”
![A COUNTY councillor is backing a campaign to get a pedestrian crossing in Staindrop. Frustrated parish councillors in the village summoned their county council representative Cllr George Richardson to their latest meeting to discuss several issues, including the call for a safe way to cross the A688. Earlier this year their request for a crossing was turned down by the county council’s highways officers. Parish council chairman Jonothan Raper described the reasons for the refusal as “spurious” and called on Cllr Richardson to support their campaign. He added: “One of the arguments they made was there is no clear line of desire when they studied the village – well this isn’t a clear line of desire because there isn’t a crossing, people cross whenever they can. “When the lollipop person was there, one of the things I noticed was people would walk all the way down to the lollipop person to cross the road to go to the shop or to go to the school.” He added a problem of parking at the primary school is exacerbated because people are too afraid to walk their children across the road. Cllr Richardson said he had supported previous attempts for a crossing point with the first being made about 15 years ago. He added: “We went fairly well down the road with that and they looked into it. The only recommended place was where the bus stop is and to get the visibility splays, people on the other side of the road would lose their parking. “That didn’t go down well so it just died a death.” Cllr Raper said he suspected the real reason for the officers’ refusal was the cost of installing a crossing. He added that much of the cost could be recovered from savings made on not having to employ a lollipop patrol. Cllr Raper said: “A lollipop person only provides a benefit of crossing for three hours of the day. You are getting 21 extra hours of crossing time [with a pedestrian crossing].” Cllr Richardson said he would raise the issue with the county council’s cabinet member for highways, Cllr John Shuttleworth.](https://teesdalemercury.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/georgeR-120x86.jpg)
