We have a great refill shop in Lanson which we don't want to lose. Can you help us keep it open as a community owned enterprise?
Our Story
Launceston has a refill shop. We need your help to keep it.
For five years, people in this town have been quietly doing something remarkable. They bring a jar, a bottle, a bag and fill it with what they need. Oats, olive oil, washing-up liquid, lentils. They pay for exactly what they take and leave without a scrap of plastic packaging. No fuss. No waste. Just a better way of shopping that actually works.
That shop was at risk of closing. When we realised what Launceston stood to lose, a group of local people decided they weren’t willing to let that happen.
We formed Lanson Refill CIC, a community interest company to bring the shop into community ownership permanently. We have a board of directors, a growing volunteer team, and premises in our sights.
We are ready to do this. We just need the community behind us to do it.
As a CIC, we are asset locked. Everything we build, every penny we earn, every piece of equipment we own is permanently protected for the benefit of this community. No one profits. Nothing gets sold off. What belongs to Launceston, stays in Launceston.
What refilling actually means
A single refill shop, used well, can prevent thousands of single-use plastic items from entering the waste stream every year. Every container you bring back is one less piece of packaging manufactured, transported, and discarded.
Lanson Refill will stock everyday household and personal care products, washing-up liquid, laundry liquid, shampoo, conditioner alongside dry goods like oats, lentils, rice, pasta, nuts, and more. You bring your own container, fill it with exactly what you need, and pay by weight. No excess. No packaging. No guilt.
We want refilling to be the easy choice, not the expensive one.
More than a shop
We want Lanson Refill to be a genuine hub for Launceston a place where people connect, not just shop.
Alongside the refill service, we plan to host community workshops on food, sustainability and low-waste living, swap and repair events, and volunteering opportunities for people who want to get involved. We will build partnerships with local schools, care providers, community groups, and local food producers because we believe this shop can do more than cut plastic. It can reduce isolation, strengthen the high street, and give everyone in Launceston a genuine stake in something that is truly theirs.
Why we need you and what your money does
We have come a long way on goodwill and donated time. Now we need community funding to open the doors and keep them open.
Our target is £25,000. Here is where it goes:
What
Cost
Fixtures, fittings and opening stock
£14,000
Premises — deposit, legal fees and fit-out
£5,000
Legal, governance and insurance
£2,000
Marketing and launch
£1,000
Working capital and contingency
£3,000
Total
£25,000
We are actively applying for match funding which means every pound you give could go twice as far. We will share updates as funding is confirmed.
Every pound is protected by our CIC status. It cannot go anywhere except back into the work we do together, in Launceston, for Launceston.
Become a founding member
Donate £25 or more and you become a founding member of Lanson Refill CIC. That means a member discount in the shop once we open, a say in the decisions that shape our future, and your place in the story of how this happened.
What we are building
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 14th August 2026 at 11:18am