Friday 17 July 2020

The Wales Air Ambulance has announced that it will reopen its Cwmdu charity shop on Monday July 20.

This is their first store that will welcome customers since the shops were forced to close in March due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

To keep the public safe in the shop, the Charity has altered the opening hours. This gives staff an opportunity to deep-clean before and after they open each day.

The new opening times are Monday to Friday between 11am-4pm.

The store in Swansea will monitor the amount of people in the shop at one time and will open with strict guidelines. Customers will be asked to follow social distancing at all times and follow a one-way system. The Charity is also asking customers not to touch anything unless they plan on purchasing that item.

When being served at the till, customers will be asked to stand in the marked box whilst being served and to use contactless or card payment where possible. There are also hand sanitising stations available for people to maintain their hand hygiene.

Andrew Lawton, Wales Air Ambulance’s Head of Retail, said: “We are delighted to announce that we are opening one of our charity shops as lockdown restrictions are starting to ease. During the pandemic, the Wales Air Ambulance has seen a significant decrease in funds following the closure of charity shops and cancelled events. We hope to gradually open our remaining shops in the coming weeks and months.

“The safety of our staff and customers is of paramount importance to us and we want to reassure our supporters that we’ve been working hard behind the scenes to ensure the store is safe. To be able to allow the shop to continue to stay open we are asking customers to please stick to the strict guidelines. This is to ensure their safety, as well as the safety of our staff.

“We’d like to thank our customers for their patience, understanding and support during these difficult times. Without you, our lifesaving service would not exist.”

The Charity has also made some changes regarding the donated items they receive and their delivery service. For the safety of the public, staff and volunteers, these include;

Donated Items – Unfortunately, the Cwmdu Charity shop can only take a limited amount of donated items at this time. This is due to limited space in the shop and the need to isolate donated goods for a while to avoid potential cross-contamination.

Deliveries – Unfortunately, the Charity is only able to undertake a limited delivery service at this time. Any deliveries will be to the curbside only, and not into homes. Personal collection from the shop is the preferred option, where possible.

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