USPCA Charity Store Turns 5!

Animal Welfare Charity Store in Banbridge celebrates its 5th Birthday! 

In May, the USPCA Charity Shop based on Newry Street in Banbridge, hit an exciting milstone as it celebrated its 5th anniversary which marks half a decade of dedicated service to both the community and animal welfare. Since the store opened its doors in 2019, the Banbridge location has been a vital fundraising asset for the USPCA which has helped to support the charities mission to provide care for animals throughout the whole of Northern Ireland.

The staff and volunteers marked this special occassion by organising a '5th Birthday Bash' within the store which allowed shop regulars, volunteers and members of the community to spend time together, to celebrate the roaring success that the Banbridge store has achieved the past 5 years. Sweet treats and coffee were a must!

The Banbridge store sells everything from clothes and accessories to books and household items, and prides itself for offering new and used items in good condition, which are kindly donated by members of the public and organised by incredible volunteers. Volunteers are vital in keeping the charity shop running. The USPCA would like to thank each volunteer that has given the charity their precious time and energy within the Banbridge store over the past 5 years.

The Banbridge store receives close to 800 bags of donations per month and those bags take a lot of time to sort through, which the volunteers spend time doing each day. Alongside amanaging donations, volunteers keep the shops looking neat and tidy and serve customers with a smile, a chat and keep them well informed about the USPCA which the charity is incredibly grateful for.

With the success of the Banbridge charity store, the USPCA has been able to expand to open two more charity stores in Lurgan and Lisburn, with a third due to open this year.

The USPCA is enormously grateful to have such a dedicate support from local communities, which is fuelled by their unwavering love of animals.

USPCA CEO Nora Smith reflected on this special milestone; 'May I say a huge thank you to the local community for their continued support over the past five years. The donations, the shoppers, our wonderful volunteers and the local businesses who have helped us to raise vital funding for all of the animals in our care. We feel very proud to be part of a thriving town centre and look forward to the next five years of continued support and growth.'

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