Volunteers bridged the gap to supply goods on a not-for-profit basis.
The re-development of Longbenton Estate in the 1990s left us with very few shops, so for three and a half years volunteers bridged the gap to supply goods on a not-for-profit basis, until Spring 2004 when the new shopping centre opened. The shop was located in Balliol Youth & Community Centre in Chesters Avenue and was open on Friday mornings. It sold a range of fresh fruit, vegetables and dried goods. It’s interesting to think back to the beginnings of the estate in the 1950s, when a series of travelling shops came onto the estate to provide goods while the original shopping centre was built.