Liskerrett Community Centre opens local produce shop in Liskeard

Liskerrett Community Centre provides a wide range of services and activities to the community of Liskeard. The community hub, set on the site of the former Liskeard Junior School is the home of Liskerrett Pre-School, Liskeard Children’s Centre, Lyskerrys Youth Project, a vegetarian cafe with a community garden and ten art studios that can be rented out to local artists. The centre is owned and managed by the community, for the community and is a busy, friendly, and vibrant space, offering a wide range of services and activities for the people of Liskeard.

During the second lockdown, Liskerrett Community Centre offered a click and collect service to its residents. It allowed the community to buy local produce online which they could then collect safely, whilst also keeping local producers in business throughout the lockdown. The click and collect store ran weekly every Saturday morning and was so well received. Liskerrett wanted to develop the service further and planned to open a local produce shop in Liskeard.

A grant of £9,000 from The CCF Emergency – Build Back Better Fund gave Liskerrett Centre the opportunity to open the local produce shop in the town centre of Liskeard. Over the last 12 months, the shop has developed a relationship with 18 local farmers, within a 15-mile radius of Liskeard. The shop continued offering an online facility for click and collect as well as keeping a stock of local produce for people to browse and buy.

The shop, known locally as Liskeard Hive is open four days a week and is managed by a group of volunteers. Liskeard Hive has benefited the community greatly, increasing the vitality of the town, improving access to local produce, educating the community on different foods, gut health and the need to protect the environment. The shop has developed links with local growing projects including Cornwall College and Melbourne Road Garden Group whilst also supporting the local farmers.

Director and Trustee of Liskerrett Centre, Jennifer Foster said “The help and support received from Cornwall Community Foundation has been valuable and the grant has enabled us to try out our ideas and work with new partners whilst promoting benefits for Liskeard and the surrounding area.”