Residents living in Peasedown St John and the surrounding area were invited to a special event to launch the village charity shop’s Christmas season stock last week.
Mercy in Action, who are based in Bath Road, re-opened their doors at 6pm on Thursday 20th November to give shoppers and supporters a first glimpse of their Christmas stock.
Shop Manager Mike Smith said: “We’ve just had a very exciting count-down to our Christmas launch evening.
“We’re extremely lucky to already have a large number of Christmas-themed items that so many people have very generously donated.
“Following last night’s successful launch, people can come in any day up until Christmas to see what festive treats are on offer.
“Our launch event included free refreshments, Christmas-music playing and a welcoming atmosphere.”
Mercy in Action, who opened their doors in the village four years ago, has been working with street children and families living in poverty in the Philippines for nearly 20 years.
They run two children’s homes, a community drop-in-centre and a schooling programme that sponsors 400 children to attend school.
The vast majority of funding for these projects comes from their chain of charity shops around Bath and elsewhere.
The Peasedown shop continues to go from strength to strength and is a now a key part of community life. They’ve recently introduced a new maternity section, and increased their range of furniture.
They’ve also increased opening hours from 8.30 am – 5.30 pm, Monday – Friday and are also open on Saturday’s from 9.00 am – 4.00 pm. All of which is in response to customer feedback.
Attending the Christmas launch evening were local councillors Karen Walker and Nathan Hartley.
Karen added: “With a month to go until Christmas, Mercy in Action’s Christmas launch evening was a perfect time to stock up for the festive season.
“There were lots of good quality gifts, Christmas cards and decorations all on sale. For anyone who missed the event, please do visit the shop soon before all the Christmas stock is sold out.”
To find out more about Mercy in Action, call the Peasedown shop on 01761 568317 or visit their website www.mercyinaction.org.uk. Readers can also keep up-to-date with their activities by following them on Twitter: @MercyInActionUK.