Barry Vara is always willing to go the extra mile for his customers and community
Image: Jim Bennett)
At first, it was just a book swap, a small bookcase at the front of the shop that Bharat Vara, better known to his customers as Barry, runs with his wife Avar.
“We had it so that people would take a book and leave a book, really simple,” says Barry.
“But then I thought, if people are doing that, then perhaps they’ll pay a pound for a secondhand book and we can give that money to charity.”
His customers were more than happy to oblige, often buying four or five books at a time and donating those they had finished.
Now, Barry’s Book Club spans several shelves at the front of Barry’s Local Shop and Post Office in Chatham, Kent. Each year, the team at the shop collects the book money together and gives it to a local charity.
Helping local charities
In 2023, they provided presents for the patients at Demelza, a children’s hospice. And last year, they were able to buy warm items and food for the Kent-based homeless charity, One Big Family.
The team chose the charity based on recommendations from their customers.
“One Big Family runs a soup kitchen on the high street and gives out useful parcels to homeless people,” says Barry.
“We were able to provide things for beds, like sleeping bags, blankets and warmers. This year, we’ve raised £2,800, and we’re just in the process of deciding who to give to. Then in January, we’ll start collecting again.”
It’s just one of many things that Barry and Avar do to help their local community — and one of the reasons why they have been named a national winner in Local Retail Champions 2025, a UK-wide awards initiative from National Lottery operator, Allwyn.
Barry Vara is one of two national winners, a prize that celebrates National Lottery retailers doing incredible things in their local areas.
He shares the top honour with Vimal Pandya of Halai General Stores in Rotherhithe, London. Each of them will receive a prize of £15,000 – after their customers nominated them for their outstanding work in their communities.
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Image:
Allwyn)
Local Retail Champions has been made possible thanks to Allwyn’s Social Value Fund – an annual £1m that the company has committed to investing across different initiatives to help communities and high streets across the UK and Isle of Man to thrive.
Even before the Book Club, Barry’s Local Shop had a drop-off point for the Medway Food Bank where customers could leave donations of food and toiletries.
“That started in the pandemic, but it just grew and grew, with more and more people donating,” he says.
Last summer, Barry and Avar also took part in Cancer Research’s Shine Night Walk, walking the equivalent of a marathon in one night.
“It started because we’re both in our 40s now and wanted to get in shape,” says Barry. “I could barely walk down the road without getting out of breath. But having a reason to walk, knowing it was helping out, gave us some focus.”
The walk took them nine hours and 20 minutes, and they raised £2,400.
“We did it,” he says, laughing. “We actually did the whole thing.”
A real community
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Image:
Jim Bennett)
Then, there’s the community they’ve built around their shop. Barry is happy to help customers with small DIY jobs, and there’s always a willing member of staff at the Post Office counter to guide older customers through complicated administrative tasks or to help them spot a potential scam.
They even paid for a locksmith to help a vulnerable customer who had locked their keys inside their house.
Running a smaller shop means Barry and Avar really get to know their customers.
He says, “We speak to our customers; for some of them, we might be the only people they stop and have a chat with all week. And we appreciate their company too.”
“Sometimes you might not see an older customer for a while, and then one of their kids will come in to close their account and tell us that they’ve died. Avar will always have a good cry when that happens.”
For Barry and his family, lending a hand to those in need is instinctive. “There are people who live near us who struggle to carry their shopping. My sons will take it up to their house. It’s part of being a community. It’s doing the right thing.”
“I am a firm believer in people sticking together and helping each other out. If anyone needs assistance, then I’ll help if I can, in the biggest way I can.”
By recognising and rewarding retailers through the Local Retail Champions initiative from its Social Value Fund, Allwyn is amplifying the incredible impact of The National Lottery on high streets and communities across the UK.
