New Shop and Centre to open on Estate
Wednesday, 12th February 2003.
A NEW charity shop and resource centre to give estate residents a place to meet and get advice are about to open.
The Salvation Army charity shop will hold a grand opening at 11.30am tomorrow at the Clements shops in Gloucester Road, Haverhill.
The Salvation Army band will be playing and Colonel Howard Grottick, the group's divisional commander for East Anglia, will officially open the shop.
The resource centre in the adjoining shop will open in about another three weeks. There will be an adjoining link for the two premises.
Captain Stuart Ashman, of Haverhill Salvation Army, said a great deal of planning and hard work had gone into the project, which aimed to provide a service for all age groups within the community.
The two shops had been empty for about three years and were in quite a poor state.
Renovation work cost around £20,000 for each, with St Edmundsbury Borough Council contributing half the cost and allowing an initial rent-free period for the Salvation Army.
The charity shop will stock second-hand clothing and household items, with furniture also a key feature. There will also be a small drop-in coffee area.
The resource centre will have rooms available for meetings and regular sessions with groups such as Suffolk Connexions, Havebury Housing, the Haverhill Learning Centre and the Citizens Advice Bureau. Later on it is hoped school activities will be provided for older children aged between nine and 13.
Captain Ashman said it was hoped that the centre could be developed to include whatever residents wanted to see there.
"The drop-in area is something a lot of people said was missing from the estate after the shops closed," he said.
"If there are groups who would like to meet in a room there, we would be pleased to hear from them.
"We still need more volunteers to run the shop and would like to hear from anyone who can help."
Anyone interested in helping can contact Elaine Hewes at Haverhill Volunteer Centre on (01440) 708444
The Salvation Army charity shop will hold a grand opening at 11.30am tomorrow at the Clements shops in Gloucester Road, Haverhill.
The Salvation Army band will be playing and Colonel Howard Grottick, the group's divisional commander for East Anglia, will officially open the shop.
The resource centre in the adjoining shop will open in about another three weeks. There will be an adjoining link for the two premises.
Captain Stuart Ashman, of Haverhill Salvation Army, said a great deal of planning and hard work had gone into the project, which aimed to provide a service for all age groups within the community.
The two shops had been empty for about three years and were in quite a poor state.
Renovation work cost around £20,000 for each, with St Edmundsbury Borough Council contributing half the cost and allowing an initial rent-free period for the Salvation Army.
The charity shop will stock second-hand clothing and household items, with furniture also a key feature. There will also be a small drop-in coffee area.
The resource centre will have rooms available for meetings and regular sessions with groups such as Suffolk Connexions, Havebury Housing, the Haverhill Learning Centre and the Citizens Advice Bureau. Later on it is hoped school activities will be provided for older children aged between nine and 13.
Captain Ashman said it was hoped that the centre could be developed to include whatever residents wanted to see there.
"The drop-in area is something a lot of people said was missing from the estate after the shops closed," he said.
"If there are groups who would like to meet in a room there, we would be pleased to hear from them.
"We still need more volunteers to run the shop and would like to hear from anyone who can help."
Anyone interested in helping can contact Elaine Hewes at Haverhill Volunteer Centre on (01440) 708444
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