The Jura Community Shop, I learned, has an intriguing history, and is a beautiful example of islanders coming together to build and improve their community.  For many years, the store was privately owned and was falling into an increasingly derelict state.  In 2013, however, the community was awarded a grant to buy, rebuild, and expand the dilapidated store, and today the Jura Community Shop is owned by, and run by, the people of Jura.  With their help, Chris Lamb manages the store, and is quite proud of how far it has come.  Members of the community with special requests can place orders for items not normally stocked, provided they are willing to wait several weeks for those items to arrive.    

The store itself is only one example of Jura’s joint community assets.  Even its fire department is staffed by volunteers who meet regularly to train and drill. They are all permanently on call in the event of an emergency; if a call goes out, any volunteers that are nearby are expected to jump in and assist.