A charity shop which opened in St Asaph less than a month ago is already a huge hit with the local community and has won praise from Vale of Clwyd MP Dr James Davies.
Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) welcomed customers to its store for the first time on Saturday, March 18th.
It is situated next-door to Bill and Ben's DIY store, and is primarily the project of St Asaph resident, Alan Jones.
James recently visited the shop to meet Alan and to find out more about the charity and what they are hoping to achieve.
Speaking afterwards, James said:
“RAK has been operating as a community group in the area for five years now, and although they previously had a ‘clothes share’, they never had a shop.
“However, with donations increasing they felt it was time for a permanent base and the shop was opened last month.
“I paid them a visit lrecently and was extremely impressed by what has been achieved in the short time since they opened.
“They are open every day in the week, and on a Saturday morning, and have a wide variety of goods available.
“However, Alan was keen to stress that the new premises is more than just a shop. With its social space, Alan is keen to create a real community hub environment, where people can pop in for a free drink and a chat.
“It is a great asset to the local community, and I would encourage people who haven’t already visited to pop in and see what’s on offer.”
Alan said:
"Opening day was frantic and since then we have had a steady stream of people calling in to the shop each day. The quality of goods which have been donated is very good, and in fact we have had so many donations that, for now, we are telling people we don't need any more - unless it is something quite unique.
"We are a not for profit organisation trying to cheer up people's lives. We know times are tough for many, so we are providing goods at an affordable price. The donations are mainly traditional charity shop items such as books and clothes, but we have also had children’s outdoor toys and even a hamster cage given so anything is considered (apart from electrical goods or large furniture)’
"In the shop there are also photographs of St Asaph both old and new and posters from three local primary schools on the theme of kindness on display.
"The shop is open Monday to Friday from 10am till 4pm and also Saturday mornings from 10am till 1pm. It is in the ideal place at the bottom of the High Street. We also advertise the goods we have for sale on our Facebook page 'The RAK Shop'."
