The UK’s “friendliest” villagers have been accused of being small-minded liars by a business owner who failed to benefit from their community spirit.
Gateside was crowned the nation’s most neighbourly neighbourhood last year, with residents lauded for outstanding acts of kindness and willingness to help each other.
However, Graham McIntosh launched a scathing attack on sections of the community, saying a lack of local support forced him and his wife Julie to close their convenience store in the village.
In a notice in the shop window, he said: “What really angers me is certain so-called members of our friendliest village who have never set foot in the shop can tell other people that we have nothing in our shop worth buying and various other lies.”
He also wrote: “It has been almost 18 months since we opened the village shop and I must say Julie and I were very, very disappointed in the response from the village but anyway that’s small-minded people for you.”
Thanking those who did support the shop in Gateside Mills, he said: “We feel very, very sorry for our regular die-hard customers who know the true value of a small village shop.”
For almost two decades the small community which has a population of around 200 had no shop and last month its only pub, the Gateside Inn, closed its doors. It won the Tesco Magazine competition to find the UK’s Friendliest Street in June last year, after being nominated by resident Hannah Phillips.
Mrs McIntosh told the Courier: “Between the pub and our shop closing, it doesn’t say very much for the UK’s friendliest village.”
Local councillor Andy Heer, who described Gateside’s community spirit as “second to none” when it won the competition, defended villagers, stating: “I think it was the location that was the problem more than anything.
“A lot of people probably had to get in their cars to get down to it and decided they may as well keep going to Strathmiglo. It was such good news when they opened the shop and it is disappointing that it has closed.”
Ms Phillips was unavailable to respond.