The Age UK Charity Shop based on Lee Lane, Horwich, hosted their grand re-opening today and invited the Advertiser, along with many other guests, to join them and cover it. Horwich Town Mayor Peter Wright gave a small speech before cutting the ribbon, mentioning “This has to be one of my many favourite shops in Horwich”.
From the inside, you can really see how much of an improvement the refurbishment has made. The interior has a clean, fresh feel to it and the stock and shelves were perfectly organised and everywhere was cleaned to perfection. The staff members were excited and very welcoming, they made sure to say hello to everyone who arrived.
Shop Manager, Laura Harrison, allowed us to ask some questions about the shop and how they feel they’re part of the Horwich community.
Laura stated that the Horwich branch has been open for 27 years and that she has been based there for 15 years. They have played a large part in the centre of Horwich for a long time.
The team have willing volunteers who regularly come in to help, including Mrs Lynn Foster, Miss Emma Asbery, Miss Tanya Winton, Mrs Gillian Shelmerdine and many more. Laura told us:
“Our volunteers are of all ages, we even have some from Duke of Edinburgh”.
“Over the years we’ve had anywhere from 10 to 20 volunteers coming in”.
The refurbishment was done as the shop needed a long-awaited positive boost. Laura says:
“It needed doing, 15 years was the last time we did anything in the shop.” She mentioned that they had a few difficulties with flooring which meant they were closed for longer than intended, but everything is fine and working now – onwards and upwards!
Age UK Horwich are a massive benefit to the Horwich community. They give the opportunity for people to volunteer and help alongside the team, in turn, helping everyone that the Age UK charity raises money for. The team provide information stands in-store for anybody to have a look at, and their helpful staff are always available to answer questions.
The shop is a place for people to come to be together, it’s all one big family there. Everybody is welcome.
Donations are always appreciated, why not stop by the shop yourself and see how you could help?
The Age UK Horwich team would like to thank Mayor Peter Wright for coming down to open the shop, and their customers who help keep them going every day.