Defibrillator charity opens new shop in Newport

AEDdonate, which has helped to place almost 2,000 automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in communities around the UK, opened the doors on its new shop in Newport, named 'Reenie & Rupert' after the young sons of the charity's bosses.

A statement from Jamie and Rachel Richards, the chief executive and the head of community and education respectively, said: “We’re delighted to have taken the lease on the shop at 6 St Mary’s Street. We love the charm and atmosphere in Newport and we hope our little shop will add to that.

"AEDdonate started in 2014 with an aim to help communities place defibrillators throughout the UK. So far we have placed just under 2,000, some of those are within the community of Newport.

"We also offer ongoing support to all sites as well as training and awareness to promote the need for further defibrillators.

Funding

"Our charity shops help to support the work we do, and every donation or purchase goes directly to supporting defibrillators in the community.

"This is our third shop and we are more than aware of the 'not another charity shop' statement but we’re sure that we have something to please everyone. We know charity shops don’t appeal to everyone but we’d love for you to pop in and see what we are all about.

"Our shops are our main funding source and without them we can’t continue to offer support to communities in the way that we do.

"We are a small charity powered by a fantastic team. We are also mum and dad to two amazing boys who endure the endless talks about the charity at home, site visits on the way to days out and the random calls that sometimes disrupt play. As a little nod to our boys we wanted to name a shop after them – they think that’s pretty cool!

"We hope you enjoy shopping with us and we can’t wait to start working with the communities in and around the Newport area."