We say goodbye to Sharon

It is with great sadness that after five years we say goodbye to Sharon.
The chairman pays the following tribute on behalf of us all:
Sharon (Morgrette), joined the HUB in September 2015 to manage the
increasingly busy Coffee Shop, originally established by Jenny Truluck

following the opening of the Shop. As well as forming the friendly and
welcoming social heart of the HUB for the local community, the Coffee
Shop has become something of a destination for many from further
afield, especially cyclists. Under Sharon’s stewardship sales in the
Coffee Shop now average £1,000 per week.

Sharon has been passionate about maintaining the high standards and
good homemade food for which the Coffee Shop has become so well
known. She has done this with a light touch and a smile that lights up
the room. She has been brilliant at managing people and her warm and
caring personality has helped bring out the best in all who have worked
with her. The visitor’s book is full of praise for the delicious food, the
warm welcome and the friendly service.

We will miss her and, like Ellen, she will be a hard act to follow. Having
given so much to the HUB, she is leaving to spend more time with her
family and for a less stressful job within walking distance of her home in
Fordingbridge. We all wish her well for the future.

It has been decided to replace Sharon with four part-time team leaders,
each working 12 hours a week in overlapping shifts. This will provide
more flexibility to cope with busy periods, holiday cover and sickness
absence. The recruitment process has been in full swing, with a very
positive response, and the final interviews are taking place as we go to
press. More news on the new appointees next month.

MEANWHILE BACK AT THE RANCH…..
Tony has been making some significant but subtle changes all of which
offer more choice to our customers and, through some tough
negotiation, will also add to our bottom line without increasing the sales
price. This is what you call a win win situation! So here are some details
….:
YOU CHOOSE THE BOOZE
For starters the wine range has been increased from a few to several.
We now stock the following:
Spanish Faustino, Premium Reserve. You will be interested to hear that
all new stock of this wine sold out on the first day it became available!
A quality Spanish Rioja
The well known New Zealand, Oyster Bay
And for something sparkling, suitable for parties and special occasions,
we are now selling:
Lanson Champagne – very well known label.
A critically acclaimed Prosecco.
This is the first time we have ever stocked fizz of any sort at the HUB so
quite a departure.
Our drink prices compete very favourably with local supermarkets
especially when you take into account, time saved, travel, parking and
fuel costs, plus the general hassle of going to a local town or city versus
the convenience of shopping locally – not to mention supporting a
Community project.
The shelves are continually replenished so next time you’re in the HUB
take a look at the new range. We hope you will like what you see.

THE DAIRY CABINET
This is beginning to look a little different now with a new layout and a
wider choice. For example, we now stock eight different ready-made
meals such as tagliatelle, cottage pies and chicken curry and rice. In the
case of some of the options there is a special price of two for £5.
However, for those who have become familiar with our Olives Kitchen
range, we have also increased the choice here significantly and now
offer ten options to choose from.
Our customers deserve the widest range possible of ready-made meals
so do have a look at what is now on offer and give us your feedback so
that we can make sure we are always providing what you like most.
LOCALLY SOURCED FRESH STRAWBERRIES
With Wimbledon just round the corner, it’s the time of the year for
strawberries so we are delighted to be stocking freshly picked
strawberries from the Ansty PYO. Anyone who has been there will know
the care they take to grow their strawberries and how delicious they
taste. The strawberry season is fairly short-lived so don’t miss out on
this most English of summer delicacies.

WAKE UP AND SMELL THE HUB’S NEW COFFEE
For a while now feedback has suggested that our coffee has been a little
on the weak side. In response to this Tony has come up with a neat
solution namely that in future we will offer two options; firstly Creme
Dolce which is a medium to light blend and secondly, Honest which is a
darker and stronger version. In both cases we are able to put our own
Chalke Valley HUB branding on the packaging. Better still the packaging
is 100% recyclable,

A NEW LOCAL SUPPLIER Manor Farm Lamb
Tony has been busy meeting our regular suppliers and has established
good relations with them all (and in some case better terms!). He has
recently met with Katie Jowett from Manor Farm in Broad Chalke and the
HUB will now be selling their lamb in the form of cutlets, steaks plus a
variety of other cuts. A list of their full range is available in the shop and
if not immediately in stock can be ordered for next day delivery. This is
the first time lamb has been sold in the HUB and is another example of
how we are trying to broaden the range of choices to our customers.

ANOTHER CALL FOR CAKE MAKERS
Homemade cakes have always been very popular and so we badly need
more bakers. If you feel you could supply two or three cakes per week
we would love to hear from you. Please contact Tony to discuss how
you might help.

THE CHALKE VALLEY HISTORY FESTIVAL.
Again the Chalke Valley will be much in the news due to the highly
successful History Festival which has now become such an established
summer event in our area during June. The HUB plays its part by
supplying the volunteers camp site with a daily delivery of coffee, milk,
croissants, pain au chocolate etc. This involves a 5am start for some of
the HUB team and amply demonstrates our real commitment to this
wonderful local festival.

VOLUNTEER NEWS
We are delighted to welcome Timothy St John Yates as a new volunteer.
If you or anyone you know would like to hear more about what is
involved in becoming a volunteer then do please talk to Tony. Judging
by the cheery faces of our current volunteers, it would seem that it is an
enjoyable way to keep connected with friends who are customers and of
course, at the same time, making a contribution to the local community.

QUOTES FROM THE VISITORS BOOK
“Another lovely visit to my favourite coffee shop in Wiltshire”
“This was our first visit and we were struck by how friendly and
welcoming the staff were. We plan to become regulars”