action - with communities in Cumbria

The Exchange Approach

The Exchange at Crosthwaite is a shining example of effective community action in the face of the loss of rural services. This Guide describing how the Exchange was established and operates was compiled by the committee of the Exhange at Crosthwaite with the help of Voluntary Action Cumbria (ACT) so that communities facing this challenge can copy their example.

In October 2005 the Crosthwaite village shop and Post Office closed its doors. Early the next month the Parish Council called an Open Meeting to discuss the implications of this closure. The result of this initial meeting was that the Post Office was taken up by the village pub and the idea of starting a Coffee Shop was mooted.

On 30th November a Steering Group of people met to move forward the ideas. At that meeting the name, format, timings, finances, products to sell, promotion and start date were all organised and allocated to individuals, who then formed the committee. Two more meetings were held in January and the doors of the Exchange opened on the 1st February 2006!

Click on the link below to download the guide to establishing an Exchange in your area.

Download the PDF