On Monday 12th January, Cllr Bill Hunt was delighted to cut the ribbon and open Wilburton’s new village shop, located in the Flame Pub car park.
East Cambs District Council has given a helping hand with this Community Hub, with financial assistance and planning guidance.
Wilburton Community Shop is housed in a cabin inside the car park of the Wilburton Flame and will open from 7am to 7pm, Monday to Friday each week.
Formerly the King’s Head pub, the restaurant remained empty for five years before reopening its doors in January.
It was forced to close in 2020 under Covid restrictions before it was sold to Dinesh and Harsha Makwana, long-time residents of the village.
First reports say that the shop and the re-opened pub/restaurant are really popular with the residents of Wilburton village and the surrounding area.
The not-for-profit business, based in Wilburton, aims to meet the needs of locals by filling the gap left by the closure of the previous village shop.
District Councillor for the Stretham Ward, Bill Hunt, said: “The new hub offers residents and passing motorists a service that has been lacking in the village since Covid.
“East Cambridgeshire District Council was delighted to be able to provide a £7,000 grant to the hub to help get plans off the ground and it has been a pleasure to attend the opening ceremony to see plans come to fruition.”
It comes after the recent approval of a planning application that sought to house the shop in the restaurant’s car park for five years.
John Attrill, a member of the community hub management committee, said all profits generated would be returned to the village.
He described the shop as a “fantastic asset to the community in more ways than one.”
“We truly appreciate the support we have received and look forward to serving our village and the wider community,” Mr Attrill added.
The shop received support from the Plunkett Association and a grant from the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority.
Ely Standard, 15 January 2026
