Emmaus enters the charity shop challenge!
Emmaus Gloucestershire provides help for homeless people by offering them a home, work and a sense of belonging. Companions, as residents are called, regain dignity, build self-esteem and learn skills through living together and working on the Community's reuse business and solidarity projects.
A community home in Gloucester provides accommodation for more than 20 companions. Each of them has his or her own room, with shared bathrooms, communal dining and living rooms.
To help fundraise, Emmaus has a Secondhand Superstore in Gloucester, and charity shops in Cheltenham and Nailsworth. Jethro Randolph manages the Nailsworth shop: “Trade is going very well. Donations are very strong and we never know what we might get!”
“We had a very heavy book binding press donated the other day – it was sold to a local man who will be using it to make his own books, so it is being put to good use.”
“We’ve also had some designer clothes donated to the shop, which would have been quite expensive in a normal high street shop. They flew off the shelves here!”
“We like to have a high turnover, and attract customers into the shop regularly.”
Emmaus at Nailsworth is preparing to take part in the Waste Reduction Challenge ‘best dressed window’ competition aimed at promoting a greener lifestyle and the reuse of goods. Jethro is looking forward to it: “We thought it would be good fun – promoting green issues is part of what we do.”
“We are making sure many unwanted items get reused and avoid going into landfill. People come to the shop on their way to the Household Recycling Centre at Horsley to offload items – sometimes we save them a trip to the tip!”
Find out more about Emmaus work within Gloucestershire
Click here to visit their website.
20 September 2010