Charity shop and family support hub opens in Christchurch

Home-Start Wessex has opened a charity shop and family support hub at unit 11, Saxon Square in Christchurch; the space includes a retail area and a reading corner, will host activities like storytime, and will be open six days a week.

Home-Start Wessex has opened a charity shop and family support hub at unit 11, Saxon Square in Christchurch. The project began last year with redesign and refitting work to transform empty retail units into a shop and a family area. The space includes a retail area and a reading corner where the charity plans to host regular activities. Staff and volunteers will run the shop and will signpost families to the support the charity provides. Key details: - Location: unit 11, Saxon Square, Christchurch (BH23 1QA). - The shop is open to the public six days a week and is run by staff and volunteers. - The space includes a reading corner and will host activities such as storytime sessions for families. - Home-Start Wessex describes this as its first charity shop and says the retail income will support the charity's wider services across Dorset. - Funders named by the charity include the Big Lottery, Talbot Village Trust, the SNG Commercial Support Fund (Sovereign Network Group), the Bernard Sunley Foundation, Tesco and J. P. Morgan. Summary: The new shop combines public retail space with a family-focused area and planned events intended to help Home-Start Wessex reach and support more families in and around Christchurch. The charity has presented the shop as a source of revenue and a new way to engage locally. The shop is open now and the charity reports it is accepting donations and recruiting volunteers as part of its ongoing activity.