Grants given in 2018 – £11,711
FOR the community, BY the community and NOT ‘Just Another Charity shop……’
In 2013 the trustees created a plan for the North Walsham Community Shop. Their vision was for a shop which would be run by volunteers working with the community to recycle donated items and raise funds for local community projects.
In January 2018, trustees Annie Abbs, Bob Wright, Jon Witte and Paul Oakes, having finally found a suitable venue, opened the doors at No 1 Market Place, North Walsham.
In June the value of our charitable work for the town was recognised by the Charities Commission, accrediting us as Registered Charity – No 1178958
The shop is open Mon 0930-1600, Tue 0930-1600, Wed 0930-1500, Thu 0900-1500, Fri 0930-1600, Sat 0900-1400
All funds go back into North Walsham community and together, they achieve two things;
- They raise easily accessible funds for a wide range of North Walsham based projects which are given out regularly.
- They provide a mini-community hub right in the centre of town which is perfect for community focussed groups to publicise their activities.
‘Regenerate North Walsham’, a popular Facebook forum, is a great example of the town’s vibrant and caring community spirit. Wide ranging discussions cover ideas for improvements to help bring the town back to its former glory.
In September 2017, a discussion about fund raising involved the idea of a community shop and included sentiments such as….”someone really should…..“, or “why don’t they….“. That was all that was needed to kick the plans for the shop back into action.
Although the shop has formal Charitable Trust status, everyone is clear that this is NOT ‘just another charity shop…..’ Unlike the regional and national charity shops that seem to have taken over many high streets, North Walsham’s Community Shop is exactly what it says on the tin, a shop FOR the local community.
“It’s lovely to think that funds raised here can be fed back into the community improving our local area and quality of life for locals and visitors” Catherine Stell
What would we like you to donate?
Bric-a-brac, books, DVDs, children’s toys, vinyl records, collectables, games, tools, jewellery, in fact any small items of interest.
BUT, Please, don’t bring us anything broken, worn out or generally not good enough to be sold.
We appreciate all of your donations but it takes time and money to dispose of anything unsuitable and we’d much rather all funds went to community projects.
Businesses and individuals can also make cash or standing order donations towards the shop’s running costs or to support specific projects if they want.
You are welcome to bring your donations to the shop or we’re also happy to collect locally.
We are a large and friendly team of volunteers and between us we run the shop. New members are always welcome. If you’re interested in what we do or would like to help out in any way, please feel welcome to pop in for a chat or contact us here.
One of the shop’s main purposes is to help promote local groups, especially smaller ones who have no website or social media of their own. We offer places for posters and information on events and the groups themselves within the shop and also here for events and here for groups on our website.
We welcome you to call in to find out what’s going on in the area.
If you run a local group and would like to advertise in the shop or on the website, please feel welcome to call in, telephone us on 01692 409141, or contact us here.