Unity in the Community
August 20, 2009 by Martin Graham
The asylum support charity Unity have opened a new shop on Govan Road, selling clothes and other items. The idea for a shop emerged when the charity found themselves inundated with donations of clothes.
Helen Bih, Chris Dempster and Josephine Joans outside the shop on Govan Road
Volunteer Chris Dempster told Local News: ‘Asylum seekers often arrive with clothing that is unsuitable for the Glasgow climate. Sometimes they only have the clothes they are standing in. So the donations are very welcome. But having got so many, we decided to open this shop to sell the excess.’ The shop is run by around 12 volunteers, a mixture of local people and asylum seekers. Patrick Mugenzi, 26, helps out at the shop from time to time and also plays midfield in the Unity football team. The team is competing in a local league. Originally from Rwanda, Patrick is pursuing a business studies course at Stow College. Patrick said: ‘I need to get some sports glasses so I can see properly when I play.’ Josephine Joans has worked as a volunteer for different groups for over 30 years. She said: ‘I want to get a good quality steaming machine so we can clean and process the clothes more quickly.’ The shop is located at 794 Govan Road, opposite Govan subway station and is open from 11am to 6pm Monday to Saturday.
Chris Dempster, Josephine Joans and Helen Bih inside the new shop
Comments
Feel free to leave a comment...
and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!