A VILLAGE shop described by local residents as a lifeline has won a national award for its personal service.

With a full delicatessen counter, freshly baked bread, video rental, a cash-back scheme and drycleaning on offer, it was no surprise to customers that the newsagents caught the eye of the judges.

The Village Store, in Elvington, near York, which is run by Tom Fitzpatrick and Sally Fleming, collected the Best Rural Newsagents Award in a competition run by Country Living magazine.

The shop, which runs a newspaper and magazine delivery service covering a 20-mile radius, was one of 70 rural newsagents throughout the country to be nominated by the public for the services they provide.

Suzy Smith, editor of Country Living, said the deluge of nominations it received for The Village Store described it as an Aladdin's cave, the hub of the village, and a lifeline, exemplifying all they were looking for.

Mr Fitzpatrick said: "The community has adopted us - we are lucky to have found a place like this. Winning the Country Living Best Rural Newsagent Award is the icing on the cake."