ShareShop Chester 4.67

SHARE’S aims are simple - we support families in crisis and people who are homeless in North Wales and Cheshire and we assist refugees fleeing for their lives, wherever they are in the world.

In September 2015, the harrowing photograph of the tiny body of three-year-old Alyun Kurdi, washed up on a beach in the Mediterranean, spurred four local mums from the Mold area to ‘do something’ to make a difference to people fleeing for their lives from war torn Syria and Iraq. They joined forces with a Chester based businessman and it was then that SHARE was born. Within weeks they were joined by like-minded businesses, schools, churches and other organisations and inundated with donations that were promptly sorted and sent where needed. In January 2016 the SHARE Shop in Chester was opened.

In Mold, SHARE volunteers receive, sort, pack and distribute all donations of clothing, footwear and other essential equipment, currently required by the refugee camps in Europe and further afield. We coordinate our efforts with other refugee support organisations in the UK and abroad, to ensure that the right items are provided at the right time and to the right place. We also work with local agencies in North Wales, supporting families in crisis, by supplying them with basic household essentials, donated furniture, clothing, toys and baby/children’s items.

In Chester, SHARE volunteers help to raise valuable funds for the charity in the SHARE Shop, by selling donations received that are not suitable for refugees or local homeless people. These items are still valuable to us, as all funds raised are then split equally between our refugee and homeless projects. Twice a week, our SHARE Van provides a valuable outreach services to those living rough on the streets of Chester. Loaded up with hot drinks, food, sleeping bags and warm clothing, our aim is to give some comfort to those who simply have no place of their own to call home.