A SHOP landlord in Launceston has offered the use of his vacant premises for a pop-up charity shop in aid of Pete’s Dragons.
Lorraine Wicks, mother of Pete’s Dragons’ chief executive Alison Hill, will, thanks to a generous shop landlord, be opening a pop-up charity shop from March 27, to April 8, to raise money for a survival trip to Sweden, which it is hoped will raise more money for the charity.
Pete’s Dragons is a charity organisation, which provides information and comfort after suicide loss.
Ms Wicks told the Post that she needs to raise at least £1,000 to make her plans viable. Before she can begin her ‘Survival in Sweden’ fundraising challenge Ms Wicks needs to raise funds and one way she plans to do this is through the new pop-up charity shop.
Ms Wicks explained that she approached Kivells estate agents in Launceston and asked if they knew of any shop landlords in town who would be willing to let her use their vacant shop.
Ms Wicks said: “I spoke to a very lovely and helpful man at Kivells, I would like to say thank you to Philip Wiltshire for all his help with this.
He suggested two empty premises in the town and gave me advice as to which one of the landlords would be more likely to grant me use of their shop.”
The pop-up charity shop will be in the vacant premises of 14 Church Street, which was previously ‘Launceston Foyer’. Ms Wicks hopes to sell stock that Pete’s Dragons has collected over time but will welcome any donations from the public — these can be dropped off at the store once it has opened.
Ms Wicks explained that the money being raised will go towards her survival trip, which will include three days ‘out in the wild’ in Sweden, she said: “I will be opening the pop-up charity shop so I can raise money for my challenge next February — a three-day survival trip in Sweden.
“Basically we are taken out as a group to Sweden and are left to ‘fend for ourselves’ in the wild — there will be organisers nearby though just in case, but they will only watch on and won’t get involved.
“We will have to survive totally out there with no water, no food, no nothing. We will have to make a house in the snow, make clean water, find and cook food, dry wood for the fire to cook the food — it will be just like being completely out in the wild with nothing.”
The pop-up charity shop will run for two weeks from March 27 to April 8. Ms Wicks is looking for volunteers to help her set up and run the shop.
She also wants to encourage people to come along and visit the shop once it is open so they can come and grab some bargains whilst helping out a worthwhile charity cause.
Ms Wicks said: “People think I am mad but it is all for a good cause — if it will help someone get through what I know is a difficult tome then it is something worth doing!”
If anyone would like to volunteer contact Ms Wicks on [email protected] or via the Pete’s Dragons website www.petesdragons.org.uk