The Wales Air Ambulance Charity shop in Tenby is on the lookout for new volunteers.
Karen Ward who lives in the village of Hundleton, a thirty-minute drive from the seaside town, says “she hasn’t looked back” since joining the team two years ago.
Karen is the Assistant General Manager and works five days a week at the Upper Frog Street branch.
She said: “Our shop is very popular! There is always someone coming through our door.”
Karen was born in the Midlands and worked in the Jewelry Quarter in Birmingham before moving to West Wales. She worked at Kiln Park for twenty-two years before returning to retail in 2023.
The 66-year-old grandmother of four, said: “The shop is so much fun; we make a point of creating a great atmosphere. We want our brilliant volunteers to be happy.
“We love to make a fuss, especially the birthdays, we do go O.T.T., one of the volunteers will make a cake, we’ll wear silly hats, play music and go in singing Happy Birthday.”
There are a variety of jobs which need doing daily and Karen says she has “no intention of retiring anytime soon” because there is “never a dull moment.”
She continued: “You have days where the stock comes in and you are sorting through everything.
“Our shop manager, Kirsty Gardiner and I are the only ones who do back of house, so we price the stock up. All the other volunteers will be in the front, with one person on the till and another available to assist on the shop floor.”
She added: “There is always something to do from cleaning, tidying rails, and making sure stock looks presentable to attract customers in.”
The shop has its regulars and Karen says Linda, who is one of the volunteers, knows everyone. She said: “Everybody that comes in will have a little chat with Karen, she is such a fantastic ambassador and makes everyone feel welcome.
“We do not have a particular type of customer, they are a mixed bunch. We have the regulars, they come every single day, they will always find something to buy.
“Then you have the holidaymakers, families who will all split up – with the kiddies off to the books and toys, mum goes to the clothes and dad heads to the back where the furniture is.
“Then you have older people who come in just to have a chat, because they might be lonely, and we are the only person they might get to have a talk with that day. It is more of a social thing; a ten-minute talk and they continue with their shopping.”
With so many enticing shops in Tenby, the Wales Air Ambulance team like to regularly update their windows with new themes. Karen said: “People will come in and they will pop their head around the door and say is this a Charity shop?
“Kirsty and I always do the windows; we take immense pride in creating something special.
“If anyone comes in and says, ‘your window looks so nice,’ it is so funny the volunteers will always take the credit and say ‘yes, thank you, we only did it the other day,’ so everyone is proud.”
Karen added: “The next theme will be a Spring theme, which will be full of colour, we are not giving anything away as we want to surprise everyone.
“Then that will go into Easter, so we will have bunnies and eggs. Then after that we will have a funky summer festival feel, think Glastonbury.”
The Charity relies on donations of pre-loved items from the public to fill the shelves. Wales Air Ambulance shops stock items such as furniture, toys and games, clothes, music, and ornaments.
Karen said: “We are such a busy shop and have such a wonderful team, but we really could do with more volunteers ahead of the summer months.
“There is no age-limit, it is lovely getting to work with people from all walks of life and if you have no experience that does not matter either.
“We will teach you how to use the till, how to put out stock and dress windows.
“It is great for your C.V. if you are looking for your first work experience role. People that have joined us have had a real confidence boost as they have picked up new skills.”
For more information about Wales Air Ambulance shops, volunteering and how to donate your pre-loved items, please visit walesairambulance.com/shops
