HIGH STREETS
‘ Life is coming back ’
It was described as being ‘ like a new beginning ’ as a local charity shop with an important role in the community was able to reopen and the borough ’ s high streets emerged from the latest lockdown .
CAPE is a small charity that provides vital mental health services for Ealing residents , through one-to-one psychological support .
Ealing Council contracts CAPE to provide those services , but the charity also runs a shop in Churchfield Road , Acton . Among other things , the shop provides volunteering work to some CAPE clients to help rebuild their confidence and support them to establish work-like routines and find work again .
The pandemic hit the shop hard , like so many others , but it managed to keep going , not least thanks to grants it received from the council .
“ The discretionary grants helped sustain us through potential insolvency , meaning we will not be another shop closure statistic and have been able to open again with a bright new shop layout ,” said Patsy Richardson , the shop ’ s non-executive director .
“ We are very grateful for financial support from the council in the form of a business grant , and a rate relief grant . These have made a critical difference to the shop being able to stay viable through the lockdown , and re-open now . We would also like to thank the generosity of the local community and our landlord who have all supported us through the lockdown .
“ We ’ ve all helped each other and come out the other end of the lockdowns . It had been touch-and-go at times .
“ Reopening the shop was huge . It ’ s a new beginning .”
‘ LIFE IS COMING BACK ’ “ Thanks to our close collaboration with the council ,” said Patsy , “ our CAPE shop remains a cheerful community presence in Churchfield Road , providing a hub for the local community . Proceeds from the shop go back to the main charity – providing local services at a time when mental health funding is needed more than ever .
“ It ’ s been exciting , quite frankly , to reopen and be in the community again . The work we do is very community based and it is nice to see the road busy and the shop full . Lots of life is coming back .”
Patsy added that the shop also took the opportunity provided by the lockdowns to increase its resale of donated second-hand clothes and
24 around ealing Summer 2020