Mark Francois, MP for Rayleigh and Wickford, recently cut the ribbon to officially open the new ‘Faith, Hope and Charity’ shop in Rochford.
The charity shop which is in Headingham Place, but opens onto the Ashingdon Road, is run by the Hawkwell Baptist Church, to raise money for the church and for local good causes. Unlike a number of other charity shop’s, as well as offering the opportunity to browse the shops’ wares, the outlet also has an area at the back with sofas and tables which is designed to allow people to enjoy a coffee and to have somewhere to meet, chat and socialise, or simply to take a break during a busy day.
Mark was accompanied at the opening by volunteers from the Local Baptist Church, led by the Rev Richard Iles, who leads worship at the church. Visitors were able to enjoy a specialised celebratory cake and refreshments at the shop to mark the event.
Commenting on the opening, Rayleigh and Wickford MP, Mark Francois said:
“I’m really pleased that Hawkwell Baptist Church has undertaken this initiative to provide a new facility for the benefit of the local community. As well as raising money for the church, the shop is specifically designed to provide a meeting point, and somewhere where people can come in and socialise, you could say that this is a kind of buy one, get one free. Hawkwell Baptist Church do important work, not just in terms of religious worship, but also in promoting community spirit, and they have kindly offered me the chance to attend one of their services which I am hoping to do some time in the New Year. In the meantime, I hope that local residents will take full advantage of this new amenity which will be an asset to the local area”.