Wales Air Ambulance preparing to reopen some charity shops

Its shops in Swansea, Bangor, Wrexham, Blackwood and Cardiff were closed on October 23, after the announcement that all non-essential shops would have to shut as part of Wales’ fire-break lockdown.

The shops will open Monday to Friday between 11am and 4pm.

The delivery and collection service will also be available once the shops have reopened.

On Monday, the charity will also be reopening its Tywyn charity shop, which has been closed since the original lockdown in March.

The charity’s remaining shops in the Welsh locations of Tenby, Mumbles, Caernarfon, Whitchurch and Abergavenny are being prepared for their reopening in the coming weeks.

The Wales Air Ambulance says it has taken careful measures to ensure that the safety of the public is paramount during the current pandemic.

To keep the public safe in its shops, the charity has altered the opening hours so that staff and volunteers can deep-clean before and after they open each day.

Following government guidelines, face coverings will be necessary in all of the shops, apart from those who have an exemption from wearing them.

The charity’s head of retail, Andrew Lawton, said: “We are delighted to be able to open the doors of our shops that had previously been reopened before the fire-break. During the pandemic, Wales Air Ambulance has seen a significant decrease in funds following the closure of charity shops and cancelled events.

“Our shops were doing extremely well before the fire-break and we hope that once we reopen, they will continue to be as successful.

“The safety of our staff and customers is of paramount importance to us and we want to reassure our supporters that we’ve been working hard behind the scenes to ensure the store is safe. To allow the shop to continue to stay open, we are asking customers to please stick to the strict guidelines.

"This is to ensure their safety, as well as the safety of our staff and volunteers. Thank you to all our customers who have been patient whilst waiting for the store to reopen again. As always, thank you so much for your support, which helps maintain our lifesaving service.”

Customers are reminded to maintain social distancing at all times and follow a one-way system.

The charity is also asking customers not to touch anything unless they plan on purchasing the item.

When at the till, people are asked to stand in the marked box while being served and to use contactless or card payment where possible.

There are also hand sanitising stations available for people to maintain their hand hygiene and Perspex screens have been fitted at each till point.