Left to right: Andy Smith YMCA Area Manager, Priti Patel MP, Darren Southall, YMCA Store Manager and Andy Smith YMCA Area Manager at the ribbon cutting ceremony.
New YMCA store is launched by Priti Patel MP
The new YMCA store in the Newlands Shopping Centre has today (24th July) been formally opened by Witham MP, Priti Patel. Priti officiated at the ribbon cutting ceremony alongside Store Manager Darren Southall, Andy Smith YMCA Area Manager and Andy Drake, CEO of YMCA Essex.
The new YMCA store is a charity shop and it will be the first in Witham to sell clothes, textiles, second-hand furniture, PAT tested electrical equipment and bric-a-brac. The YMCA is the oldest and largest youth charity in the world. In England and Wales, it intensively supports some 230,000 young people every year.
Priti Patel, speaking after the ceremony said: “It was a real pleasure for me to give the new YMCA store a good send off. It was also a useful opportunity to get out the message that it is safe to go shopping again and, at the same time, support such a worthy charity in its efforts. The YMCA is facing a £5 million deficit in its finances due to the pandemic and is putting out an urgent appeal for donations. I hope local people will support the charity through donations or purchases from this excellent new store, which brings some additional variety to the shopping experience in the Newlands Centre.”
Darren Southall, YMCA Store Manager said: “We are grateful to Priti for taking time out of her busy schedule to share this special moment with us. We hope that the new store will provide some extra interest for local people and we look forward to welcoming everyone for their first visit.”
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