Keeping a community asset where it belongs
When the building housing Wigtown Community Shop was listed for sale in October 2025, the threat was clear. A commercial sale could have ended the shop’s long-standing tenancy — and with it, one of the most vital volunteer-run services in the town.
We weren’t prepared to let that happen.
W&BCI met with the Community Shop’s managing committee, sought their support, and gathered hundreds of petition signatures from local people who felt the same way. We raised the issue urgently with the Community Council, then approached South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE) to make the case for securing the building in community hands.
SOSE agreed to provide the majority of the required funding, with a small private loan covering the shortfall. In late 2025, we made an offer on 33 & 34 South Main Street — and it was accepted.
The building is now ours. The Community Shop’s future is secure.
Wigtown Community Shop is far more than a shop. It is a volunteer-run social hub and a remarkable fundraiser for local groups and organisations that would otherwise struggle to survive. The range of community groups, activities and individuals it supports through its retail and event fundraising is extraordinary — and it has been doing this quietly and consistently for years.
We are proud to have given it a permanent home.
The building also includes a two-bedroom flat above the shop. We are now working to source capital funding to refurbish the flat to a high standard — new roof, upgraded doors and windows, improved insulation and heating — so that it can be let as an affordable, energy-efficient home for a local person or family with a connection to Wigtown.
We will update this page as the refurbishment project develops.
If you have any questions about this project, please contact us at secretary@wigtownandbladnoch.co.uk.
