The community has raised more than £3,000 to keep the shop running
THE OWNER of Cathays’ oldest baguette shop is still unconscious after being hit by a car on March 3 – and the community has raised over £3,000 to keep her shop going.
“She would be devastated if she did come around and we told her that the shop had closed,” said her son.
Sharon Warren, 60, suffered serious injuries after the incident including a brain bleed, a fractured neck and pelvis and broken legs according to her son Dean Warren, 38.
She’s been taken off sedation, but has not yet woken up.
Mrs Warren’s shop Baguettes & Bagels had to close after she was injured, but with rent and suppliers to pay and no savings or money coming in, her family started a fundraiser to keep the shop going. This raised £3,000 in less than a week.
“It’s overwhelming – all the love, the support, the generosity. It demonstrates how loved she is in the community,” said Mr Warren.
Mrs Warren has been the owner of the shop for the last eight years, and has worked there for 22 years.
The family are doing everything they can to keep the business running while she’s in hospital. They also have a rota system to make sure that someone’s always at her bedside.
Her son said of the fundraiser: “It’s helping us keep the business alive whilst she can’t, in the hope that one day she can return.”
Mr Warren said that the generosity of those donating to the fundraiser is testament to how she is with customers – she treated them like friends.
Mrs Warren is still in touch with builders who worked on the new Cardiff University building on Senghenydd Road; they were regulars at her shop when carrying out the work. Murphy Abraham, 30, worked on that building site and is running a raffle to raise money for her.
“She’s a lovely, genuine person who would help others out without a second thought,” said Mr Abraham.
Mr Warren said she is a family woman, spending every weekend with her children and grandchildren. She was meant to be going on a family trip to a farm on the day that she was injured.
Her son said that she’s also an animal lover. She would bring a bag of cat food with her on her way back from work to feed stray cats every day – she even feeds them on Christmas Day, according to Mr Warren. She has two cats of her own at her home in Cathays called Scaredy and Ginger.
The shop is normally open between 9am and 5pm, but it’s closing at 3pm at the moment while the family looks for more people to work in the shop.
+ Marcus Frankie Falzon, 32, appeared in Cardiff Magistrates Court on Monday, March 4, charged with multiple offences. These include driving without a licence, driving without insurance, aggravated vehicle taking, failing to stop after an accident, causing serious injury by dangerous driving, driving whilst unfit through drink, and failing to report a road accident. He is due to appear in Cardiff Crown Court on April 3.
- You can donate to the fundraiser for Mrs Warren here.
- Part time staff are wanted at Baguettes & Bagels – you can apply by emailing sharon.baguettesandbagels@gmail.com
