Pictured: Midcounties Co-operative colleagues from left are
Team Leader Terry Harney, Ben Atherton, Steve Freeman, Steve
Griffin and Les Wilkinson
Vacant premises in Wolverhampton have been given a new lease of
life as a charity shop with help from community retailer The
Midcounties Co-operative.
A team of six volunteers from its property group spent three
days transforming the rundown unit in Salop Street on behalf of The
Haven Wolverhampton which has five refuges in the city for women
and children affected by domestic violence and homelessness
The shop opens on 25 November and will sell donated clothes and
goods to raise funds for the charity's work providing safe,
temporary, emergency accommodation and support services.
Team Leader Terry Harney from Midcounties said: "The shop was in
a fairly poor state so we had to completely refurbish it; painting
and decorating, providing new flooring, building a changing room,
forming a new counter and generally fitting it out.
"We have a lot of experience in shop fitting and property
repairs so the challenge suited us. It was a way of giving back to
the community and a chance to support a very worthwhile cause. We
also had help on the electrical side from our contractor B W
Electrical."
Palie Dulai, Fundraising Officer at The Haven, said: "The shop
was just a shell and had been empty for 12 months. The Midcounties
team did a great job and it meant we saved about £6,000 on
what it would have cost us without their support.
"We are delighted with the transformation. The shop will help
The Haven to generate much needed income and also provide the women
who access our services the opportunity to learn new skills and
increase their confidence through volunteering opportunities within
the shop. It will also allow us to raise publicity and awareness in
the local community.
"This is currently our only charity shop but we are looking at
further sites within Wolverhampton City Centre and are today
launching a recruitment drive for volunteers. We are keen to hear
from people with experience in retail as well as those looking to
make a start and learn about the trade. For more information please
contact Andrea Cifuentes Posek on vc@havenrefuge.org.uk or call
01902 572169."
The Haven works closely with Women's Aid, the key national
charity working to end domestic violence against women and
children, which is Midcounties' charity partner.
Midcounties colleagues are raising money to support the work of
Women's Aid nationally and eleven local services that operate
within its trading areas, including refuges at Wolverhampton,
Walsall, Shropshire, Wyre Forest, Warwickshire, Wycombe,
Oxfordshire, The Forest of Dean and Gloucestershire.
Colleagues are also giving their time to volunteering projects
and getting involved in campaign work to support Women's Aid.
The Midcounties Co-operative has an extensive colleague
volunteer programme that takes on all types of challenges to assist
local people and organisations and to help the participants to
develop personally and as a team. Each colleague can spend up to
three days a year on volunteering activity as part of their paid
work time
Last year across Midcounties' trading areas they delivered
26,000 hours of support in response to local needs.