A SHOP owner whose community convenience store in Weymouth has won numerous awards has retired after 35 years.

Barbara Clements has transformed the Spar in Preston Road, Preston, into a thriving neighbourhood store over the years - winning Convenience Retailer of the Year award multiple times.

Barbara's store has become a pillar of the community thanks to her hard work and commitment to running and expanding the shop whilst helping to raise money for charity and supporting local people during the pandemic.

Barbara and her late husband Michael first acquired the store in 1986 when it was a bungalow and were able to develop it into an award-winning business.

She said: "I will miss a lot of things about working at the shop. I’ve made lots of friends and we’ve had massive support over the years to build up this business. It was just a bungalow when we bought it.

"We’ve been recognised for being such a good business in many different aspects - but it's been hard work."

When the pandemic hit Barbara did what she could to help people stay at home as much as possible and started delivering food and other items to homes in the local area.

The service was hugely successful, and at one point, with the help of around 20 volunteers, was making an average of 50 deliveries a day to neighbouring homes.

The delivery service meant that elderly and vulnerable people who may not have access to the internet could still keep up to date with local news and public information without leaving the house.

Dorset Echo: : store owner Barbara Clements (third from right) holds up four fingers to signify the achievement, surrounded by her staff. Left is Mike Boardman, Managing Director, Appleby Westward, and right is the host of the 2019 event, Chris "Doc" Strange.: store owner Barbara Clements (third from right) holds up four fingers to signify the achievement, surrounded by her staff. Left is Mike Boardman, Managing Director, Appleby Westward, and right is the host of the 2019 event, Chris "Doc" Strange.

Barbara said: "I think we did what we should have done, we’re a community store and we’re here for the community.

"We delivered food and we still do the home delivery. The new company will carry on to do that, everything I’ve done will be carried on now that I've left."

During the pandemic Barbara and her staff at the store also helped Soul Food, a Weymouth food kitchen for the homeless, to help prepare meals which were given out to anyone who needed it.

Barbara has also been able to do a lot to raise money for charities from the Spar store and would regularly hold in-store cake sales for Marie Curie.

She added: "I want to say thank you to everybody for their support over the years.

"I would like to say a huge thank you, not just to Preston, but also to the many people in Weymouth and surrounding areas who have who used the shop.

"I also want to say thank you to the staff there who have been committed to me for the last few years and who are to be kept on at the store by the new owner."

Barbara said that the thing she is most looking forward to in retirement is spending more time with her family, especially her young grandson.

The shop has now been taken over by wholesalers Appleby Westward.