The shop opened its doors on St David’s Day to kickstart Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month
CHARITY shop fans in Whitchurch have a brand new shopping paradise on their doorsteps following the return to the area of an old neighbour.
Cerebral Palsy Cymru is excited to return to Whitchurch in the form of a charity shop on Merthyr Road which, it hopes, will help bring in some of the £2m a year needed to keep the charity going.
The charity had previously made its home in Whitchurch but relocated its children’s centre to nearby Llanishen in 2021.
Now charity bosses hope to encourage all members of the community to volunteer and take part in Cerebral Palsy awareness month, which runs throughout March.
The charity provides specialist therapy and support to children and families across Wales who are living with cerebral palsy. It has a team of physiotherapists as well as occupational and speech and language therapists who work with the children and family support services to give guidance and support to the families.
We really wanted to connect with everybody in the local community.”
Emily Anthony, head of marketing and communications
“We need to raise approximately £2m a year to keep providing the services we offer. 26% of this comes from charity shops,” said Marc Roberts, head of retail for the charity.
The charity was originally founded in 1992 by a group of parents and they worked within Whitchurch for 28 years.
The site of the new charity shop – on the corner of Merthyr Road and Church Road and opposite St Mary’s Church – was chosen with care. The unit used to be a mobility shop, and the charity felt the wide space and ramps would provide accessible shopping and volunteering opportunities for the whole community.
“We really wanted to connect with everybody in the local community,” said Emily Anthony, head of marketing and communications for the charity.
“We have had a lot of compliments from people in the community about how easy the shop is to access, as well as our children’s corner. That was really important to us to have at the forefront because we are a children’s charity,” said Lauren Buckley, the manager of the Whitchurch shop.
Ms Buckley also told of the importance of retail outlets to the charity.
“I’ve sat in on a few of the therapy sessions. It’s been great to see the impact our work has on families,” she said.
The shop is open from Monday to Saturday every week and closes at 4.30pm every afternoon.
As well as charity shopping, Cerebral Palsy Cymru offers a range of activities for people to take part in during March which is Cerebral Palsy awareness month. Cerebral Palsy is the most common physical disability in children and the charity estimates that in Wales, a child is born with the condition every five days.
People can still take part in the 70 Miles in March campaign, where you get sponsored to complete 70 miles of physical activity. This can be walking, running, swimming or anything else active.
