Our Story

For four years, a simple but powerful idea has guided us — that Foyers Stores should belong to the community it serves. What began as a shared hope gradually became a determined effort to secure this vital local service for the long term. This page tells the story of how that vision grew into action, how funding was secured, and how Boleskine Community Care worked alongside local partners to make community ownership through Foyers Community Stores Ltd a reality.

A Four-Year Journey to Keep Our Shop Local

This has been four years in the making.

For a long time, there has been a shared hope within our community — that one day Foyers Stores could belong to the people who rely on it most. When the opportunity finally came, we were ready.

We knew what was at stake.

Foyers Stores is more than a shop. It is the only everyday retail service on the south side of Loch Ness for miles. It provides groceries, a café, a Post Office, local employment, and a vital meeting place. For older residents, people without transport, and during severe weather, it is a lifeline.

Losing it was never an option.

So we began the work to secure it — properly, sustainably, and for the long term.

Working Relentlessly to Make It Possible

Over the past four years, we have worked tirelessly behind the scenes — building partnerships, developing a viable business plan, and securing the funding needed to make community ownership a reality.

Through determination, collaboration and strong local support, we successfully secured significant investment from the Scottish Land Fund and Stratherrick & Foyers Community Trust. That funding allows the purchase of the building and business to go ahead.

But securing funding was never just about buying a property.

It was about protecting an essential service.
It was about safeguarding local jobs.
It was about ensuring future generations continue to have access to everyday necessities close to home.

This project has always been rooted in one simple belief:

Local assets should stay in local hands.

The Role of Boleskine Community Care

This journey has been led by Boleskine Community Care (BCC), a well-established, award-winning local charity that has supported the Stratherrick and Foyers community for over ten years.

BCC exists to enrich lives and provide crucial services that support wellbeing, independence and connection. From tackling isolation and supporting older residents, to creating opportunities for social engagement and practical help, BCC delivers lifeline services that many in our community depend upon.

At its heart, BCC is about people.

Securing the shop aligns perfectly with that mission. The store and café are natural extensions of the support BCC already provides — places where people meet, connect, and access essential services.

By acquiring the building, BCC is protecting it as a long-term community asset. This ensures it can never be lost to private development or removed from community use.

A Strong Structure for the Future

While the building will remain in the ownership of Boleskine Community Care, the shop itself will be owned and operated by Foyers Community Stores Ltd — a Community Benefit Society created specifically for this purpose.

This structure ensures:

Democratic control through community membership
One member, one vote
An asset lock protecting the business for community benefit
Transparency and accountability
Reinvestment of any surplus back into the shop

It combines the stability of charitable asset ownership with the energy and accountability of a member-led trading business.

In short, it protects both the building and the business for the long term.

For many, the shop is part of daily life — picking up groceries, collecting parcels, meeting friends for coffee.

But it is also something deeper.

It is reassurance.
It is connection.
It is independence.
It is resilience.

Community ownership allows us not just to preserve what exists, but to thoughtfully strengthen and develop it — improving stock range, increasing local produce, enhancing the café, and responding directly to local need.

All while remaining financially responsible and sustainable.

This has never been a quick project.

It has taken patience, planning, and belief. It has required volunteers, trustees, funders and residents all pulling in the same direction.

And now, after four years of work, we are on the brink of securing Foyers Stores for good.

This is what community ownership looks like:
Commitment.
Collaboration.
Care for one another.

Together, we are ensuring that Foyers Stores remains at the heart of our community — not just for today, but for generations to come

More Than a Shop