New charity shop opens its doors to Torquay locals

Torquay’s latest charity shop opened to the public on Wednesday (3 April) to a warm reception, with all shop proceeds benefitting children and adults with complex disabilities.

The town’s first Sense charity shop opened at 34-36 Union Street and got off to a fantastic start, with Sense staff and volunteers delighted to see a queue forming at the door before the store opened at 10am.

The store is raising funds for Sense, the national disability charity that supports people with complex disabilities including deafblindness, by selling a variety of preloved donated stock and some new goods.

The shop also aims to be an integral part of the town’s community, by providing a local hub for volunteers and customers to come together to meet people and tackle loneliness. More than half (53 per cent) of people with complex disabilities told Sense that they often or always feel lonely, in comparison to a quarter (25 per cent) of the general population. 

Locals to Torquay can help the Sense store by donating goods and joining the team as volunteers, as even an hour a week can help change the lives of people living with complex disabilities. The shop is selling a wide range of goods, including ladieswear, menswear, toys and children’s clothes, books, bric-a-brac and electrical items. 

Area manager Paul Ives said: “Our new Sense shop in Torquay is in conveniently positioned in the town centre near Primark and we’re looking forward to providing the local community with a fantastic offer of pre-loved treasures at unbeatable value.

“We’re delighted our new store has got off to a flying start – we’ve had a lovely reception from the local community and invite everyone to come in, say ‘hello’ and have a browse. We would also warmly welcome any help local people might like to give us as we get the new shop up and running, perhaps through making donations or by becoming a volunteer.”