A VILLAGE SHOP in Denbighshire's focus on local produce is proving to be a welcome boost for food producers in the area during the coronavirus pandemic.

Siop y Pentre in Llanrhaeadr, between Ruthin and Cerrigydrudion, has been a community hub for decades. Three years ago Juliette Roberts took over and since then it has put the focus even more firmly on selling local produce.

She said: "We've always stocked local produce and that's what our customers tell us they want. Our meat comes from JH Jones the award-winning butcher in Denbigh, our milk comes from the local milkman and supports local dairy farmers and Llaeth y Llan supply our yoghurts. Since the lockdown, we're selling five times as much of the yoghurts, which is remarkable.

"We also stock bread from Henllan and the Village Bakery as well as ice cream from Ruthin's Chilly Cow, Thai meals from Llanferres and regular deliveries from Siwgr a Sbeis and Blas ar Fwyd from Llanrwst.

"Our fruit and veg is delivered daily and that means we've always got really fresh produce for sale."

She said the pandemic had forced the shop to adapt. Although it remains open for early-morning customers, it closes at 10am to allow staff to do deliveries to customers in a bid to keep them safe.

Juliette added: "We had a very busy period at the start of the lockdown because people couldn't get supermarket slots. We've now decided to invest in a van and a driver to be able to deal with demand and provide an ongoing service in the surrounding area. We're hoping that our loyal customers will value the quality of the produce we offer and also see the benefits of keeping the spending in the local economy as much as possible."

Plaid Cymru's North Wales MS Llyr Gruffydd, who recently launched his party's "I'm Buying Local" campaign to support local food producers, said that community shops were proving their worth in the Covid-19 crisis and that it was important that they were supported once the lockdown was lifted: "Village stores such as Siop y Pentre in Llanrhaeadr have innovated and succeeded in providing food and other goods for the local area.

"They're also ensuring local food producers and farmers have somewhere to sell at a time when other outlets - such as coffee shops - had vanished overnight. Our over-reliance on supermarkets and global trade makes the food chain very fragile.

"Shops like this also provided a local lifeline for vulnerable people in the area. We need a more resilient food chain and having outlets such as Siop y Pentre is a part of developing that community-based supply chain.

"I hope, as we move gradually out of lockdown, people will remember this and keep buying local from Siop y Pentre and other community stores."