Local Business

The success of Brightwell's very own community shop – funded and mostly run by volunteers – shows that villagers are prepared to buy locally.  Our picture shows carpenter Jim Lynch putting the finishing touches to the sign he donated to help the shop on its way.

Within the parish boundaries you can pick strawberries and buy hanging baskets in season, get a garden makeover or just some new plants to cover the bare bits, sample some English wine, get your house rewired or painted, have your car serviced or hire a taxi. You can try the Alexander Technique, get your eyebrows tinted, or find advice on which of the 38 flower and plant-based Bach Flower Remedies is the one for you.

Fancy a bit of fish? Catch the fish man when he calls on Tuesdays, or go to the Red Lion and wash it down with a bit of the other wet stuff. The Village Stores, behind the Village Hall, is open every day for a variety of local produce as well as newspapers, milk and the usual staples. Need a stamp? If you're there on a weekday morning, you can catch the Post Office just across the way in the Stewart Room.

We may not go in for fancy signboards or posh brass plates, but the people of Brightwell-cum-Sotwell have plenty of talent to offer. Behind those unassuming rustic front doors lie teachers, musicians, computer experts and entrepreneurs of all kinds.