A NEW charity shop has recently opened in Thornton-le-Dale in Pickering Road on a site previously occupied by a small Christian bookshop.

The manager Val Walker is at present assisted by local volunteer, Barbara Woodford, and the shop relies entirely on donations of clothes, books and bric-a-brac.

Proceeds from sales help to provide food, clothing and toiletries for the homeless and vulnerable people on the streets of York and surrounding areas.

A First Stage Homeless Project has also been launched to give all-round support, advice and networking with other agencies such as courts and prison visiting, where appropriate. As Val says, sometimes a show of support and a listening ear can make a big difference.

So far, summer sales have been good, but Val stressed that she was in need of more volunteer helpers as well as good quality clothes.

During the summer months, the shop is open Monday-Friday between 10am and 4pm, in the winter the shop will close at 3pm.

The premises have been provided rent free by Bill Gamble, a trader and resident of Kirkbymoorside and apart from minor expenses such as telephone and electricity, all the proceeds go towards a worthy charity.

Val is also resident in Kirkbymoorside and has had a good deal of experience in charitable work. She was employed by the Spastic Society in Whitby for a while and later ran a swap shop in Eastgate shopping centre, Pickering.

This scheme proved very popular by allowing people who donated gifts to receive a ticket with a 'swap value' which could be exchanged for another item of similar value or, if the item was more costly, upon payment of the extra amount.

Sadly, the shop was forced to close due to high rental costs which Val regards as regrettable since it brought customers into the area.

Val still operates as a youth worker, organising a dance group in Middleton, and is hoping to set up a similar project at Kirkbymoorside in the autumn.

She is very keen that the project in Thornton-le-Dale will succeed and asks residents to support her with gifts of unwanted goods, the most popular items being children's and women's clothing. She takes care to see that prices are kept to a reasonable level by visiting other charity shops to make comparison.

During the spell of warm summer weather, she was delighted to report that an average of 15 to 30 paying customers entered the shop daily, some of them tourists.

In order to deal with customers and not be tied to the shop every day, she is asking for willing volunteers to assist her, even if they can only spare a few hours a week.

They could either work in the shop or behind the scenes where all the ironing, ticketing and sorting is carried out.

Although all the work, including her post as manager, is unpaid, Val says there are many bonuses to be gained. As well as meeting new people each day and making friends, there is the satisfaction in knowing that people who are less fortunate will benefit, many of whom live friendless lives on the streets of a large city.

Updated: 09:39 Thursday, September 13, 2001