The Noah’s Ark Charity shop, which sells all kinds of pre-loved items from baby clothes to homeware, is situated on Caerphilly Road, just a stone’s throw away from the children’s hospital which it supports.
Though the charity has run a successful shop within the children’s hospital for many years, the new premises will be its first ever community shop. The property at 91-93 Caerphilly Road is owned by the Principality Building Society which operates a local branch next door. Cooke & Arkwright negotiated the lease on behalf of Principality.
Shop manager, Ian Beesley, says: “All of us at the Noah’s Ark Charity are extremely excited to finally have a presence here on the high street where we can raise much needed funds for the hospital while meeting so many of our supporters face to face. As an organisation that’s committed to supporting both current and future generations of children, we’re also very proud to be doing our little bit to help the environment by encouraging re-using and re-cycling too!
“Thanks to what’s become known as the Marie Kondo effect, there’s been a significant boom in the donation of pre-loved items to charity shops. In the words of the lady herself, we’re hoping that the act of both donating and buying at our new shop will ‘spark joy’ for our supporters, knowing that their actions are helping thousands of families at the children’s hospital just around the corner.”
Ryan Pratt, Associate Director with Retail & Leisure at Cooke & Arkwright said: “The Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital provides a unique service in Wales and we are delighted to have let these premises in Birchgrove to them, being their first charity raising shop, on behalf of Principality.
“In support of the new shop opening, staff teams at Cooke & Arkwright and Principality are donating good quality clothes as well as other items to help the charity raise money for Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital.”
Ruth Davies, Birchgrove Branch Manager at Principality Building Society, said, “We are delighted to welcome Noah’s Ark to join us next door to our branch in Birchgrove. It will be very convenient for dropping off donations and browsing, and we are sure it will tempt customers who visit our branch.”