Wigginton Shop & Café, near Tring which opened its doors last December, is bathing in a SME Herts award win taking the Best Newcomer category. The awards are designed to celebrate the best of Hertfordshire business.

The shop is a community enterprise that was started from scratch towards the end of 2016. With a focus on bringing the community together and being a shop window for local produce. It soon gathered plenty of support, a Management Committee and huge team of volunteers that got the project off the ground. Six months of trading has seen the shop finalists for three awards including Rural Oscars run by the Countryside Alliance, Muddy Awards and of course this win.

Sally Clarke, manager of the shop said: “We are over the moon to have won this award. The shop and café are a true community enterprise. We have more than 80 volunteers who all work so hard to make the shop the vibrant community asset it has become at the heart of our village. We’ve been open for six months – bring on the next six.”