THE newest store in Wellington is expected to be opened this week - another charity shop for the town.

Ferne Animal Sanctuary has converted the former Children’s Hospice South West charity shop which has been empty since the hospice moved to the former Costa Coffee premises next to the town’s Waitrose supermarket.

The animal charity is expected to open its new shop, in Fore Street, on the corner of Cornhill, on Thursday.

Wellington will be the charity’s seventh retail shop, with others located in Chard, Honiton, Ilminster, Sidmouth, Crewkerne, and Yeovil.

It will be open 9 am to 4.30 pm on Monday to Saturday and from 10 am to 4 pm on Sundays, and the charity is already advertising for an assistant manager for the Wellington store, where manager’s jobs carry a salary of more than £21,000.

Ferne Animal Sanctuary has been busy in the past few weeks converting a former charity shop in Wellington into one for itself.
Ferne Animal Sanctuary has been busy in the past few weeks converting a former charity shop in Wellington into one for itself. (Tindle News)

In its last set of accounts, for the year ended March 31, 2022, charity shop sales brought in nearly £210,000 for Ferne Animal Sanctuary.

The charity, which has an animal sanctuary on the Blackdown Hills near Chard, started 84 years ago when the Duchess of Hamilton and Brandon provided a refuge at her home, the Ferne Estate, in Wiltshire, to look after the animals of people going off to war.

Many of them did not return and the duchess made sure their animals were looked after for the rest of their lives.

In 1975 the charity moved to its 52-acre site on the Blackdowns, where it has more than 300 resident animals and provides a re-homing service for cats and dogs within a 40-mile radius.

All of the proceeds from the Wellington charity shop and the other six premises will go to help keep Ferne Animal Sanctuary running.

An early shot of the Ferne Animal Sanctuary charity shop taking shape next to Cornhill in Wellington town centre.
An early shot of the Ferne Animal Sanctuary charity shop taking shape next to Cornhill in Wellington town centre. (Tindle News)

A spokesperson for the charity said: “With the cost of everything increasing, buying second-hand is great for your wallet, but it is also great for the environment.

“By visiting one of our fabulous charity shops you can save a lot of money and find beautiful and unique items.

“It is also an environmentally friendly practice and a great way to make fashion more sustainable.

“Buying second-hand has a big positive social and environmental impact.

“It reduces carbon emissions, save resources, water, and energy and prevents old clothing from ending up in landfills.”

Anybody interested in the assistant manager role or helping in any volunteer capacity can find out more details and apply here.