THE work of volunteers and continued success of a community shop were praised at a meeting of Launceston Rotary Club earlier this week.

The new Launceston Rotary Community Shop manager, Dennis Howson, expressed his appreciation to Rotarians for being ‘of great help to the community’.

Rotarians Peter Casey and the late Ray Ripley started the community shop in Moore’s, the old Woolworth building, in 2011.

From the start, £12,500 was taken in the first eight weeks. Some of the organisations that benefitted at the time were Launceston Foodbank, the Memory Café, Monday Club, Launceston Hospital League of Friends, St John Ambulance, Southgate Colts, the youth project and the first skateboard project.

Since then the Rotary Club has donated an average of about £30,000 each year to many local community projects — the largest being £10,000 towards a minibus for the college.

Mr Howson said at the meeting: “In the last six months we have dealt with 24 applications totalling about £14,500.

“We have received many plaudits and even a personal visit from the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.

“We also received an official award of appreciation for our work from Launceston Town Council presented by the mayor. It hangs in the shop.”

The Launceston Rotary Community Shop is on Southgate Street.

Pictured above are some of the volunteers with, sitting at the front, June Down, assistant shop manager and Dennis Howson, the current shop manager.