Sponsored by
Charity in Action as shop opens its doors
b12-1133 Mercy In Action new boutique charity shop is opening in Dunstable Street, Ampthill.
A charity shop that will raise money to help children on the streets in the Philippines is set to open in Ampthill on Saturday.
Mercy In Action is a charity based in Bath that raises money to help look after children forced to live on the streets in the Philippines.
The Ampthill store will be its fifth shop it has opened, and the charity already has one store and a pop-up shop in Bedford.
Operations manager at the new store Jude Harrington said: “Ampthill has been on my radar for a while. We have other stores in towns similar to Ampthill so I always thought it would be great to have a shop there as well.
“Then this unit came up, so we basically grabbed it. We are going to be opening on Saturday with refreshments on offer to celebrate. I’m really excited to be opening here.”
The shop called Mercy In Action Boutique Charity Shop will sell a range of second-hand items from clothes to bric-a-brac and books.
And Jude is also looking at starting an up-cycling project in the shop where she will work with several designers in recycling old items into new and improved products. She is looking for people to get in touch and get involved.
Jude added: “It’s basically recycling, but improving old items, hence the name up-cycling. It’s something I’ve been looking at doing for a while, but I didn’t really have the space. But there is a lot of space in the Ampthill premises that will enable me to start the scheme, so I’m just looking for people to get involved.”
News of the shop opening has not been met positively by everyone in Ampthill when a discussion broke out on the town’s website AroundAmpthill.
Forum user Scrabbler said: “At least there will not be so many blank windows now in the street.”
But Miss Rosy replied: “It’s Mercy in Action, which is a charity that supports street kids in the Phillipines.
“Great charity but a shame it’s not a UK charity as there are plenty of people here who need help.”
Retriever added: “I don’t see many children living openly on the streets of the UK, scraping a living by scavenging on rubbish tips.”
The shop will be open from 9am on Saturday. If you are interested in the up-cycling scheme email j.harrington@mercyinaction.org.uk
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Bedford
Sunday 19 May 2013
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 10 C to 18 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 11 C to 17 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: North
