A brief bit of history
By Steve Webb

Kielder Village Store was built to the plans designed by Bill Charters in 1982; opening its doors in the spring of that year and has been trading continuously ever since.
Prior to 1979 Kielder was without a permanent shop and was supplied by a mobile shop from a nearby village.
Bill Charters, who had lived in the village all his life, set up a store in a wooden building in the garden of 14 Castle Drive, until his plans for the current site bore fruition. He moved house to number 32 Castle Drive.

At this time the village had many men working for the Forestry Commission, there were far more children within the village and cars were not so widespread or affordable. (Approximately 400 people and 80 children within the school) Therefore families tended to shop locally, allowing village stores up and down the valley to survive.

Viaduct & house before flooding

With the increased mechanization and less manpower required families moved on and subsequently the population dwindled; bringing about it a change in shopping trends. (140 people with 3 children within the school) Most families were now able to afford vehicles and the opening of larger stores, with more choice in places such as Hexham and Hawick, trade for the village shops declined. Bringing with it a different kind of challenge for the village shops.

Despite difficult times such as foot and mouth and the change in families shopping trends Kielder Village Store still persevered where other stores unfortunately had to close. The village was able to reverse a decision by the Forestry Commission where they planned to sell off redundant houses to the holiday sector for prices ranging from £13,000 to £18,000. If carried through this decision would have sounded the death knell for Kielder as a village and community.

Bill & Leslie Charters with current owners Steve & Julie Webb and their two children
Photo by kind permission of Hexham Courant.

In November 2005 Bill Charters and his wife Leslie Charters put their business up for sale with plans to retire in the local area. I saw the ad shortly after it's publishing on the Web and after visiting one rainy day proceeded to purchase.

I left the RAF Regiment after 22 years in June 2006, we became officially homeless on June 10th that year and rented a property in Kielder whilst the sale went through it’s tortuous process.

On July 16th Bill and Leslie Charters after over 20 years trading retired to pastures green in the local area. And in the August 2006 they officially handed over the Post Office to Julie Webb, who is the Postmaster.