IN AN exciting new venture expected to reap significant benefits for the Corner Inlet community, Prom Country Aged Care is joining forces with the Linton Court Committee to expand the Linton Court Opportunity Shop and share the proceeds.
It’s a win-win situation for the Linton Court Elderly People’s Homes Society Inc, which has been asked by the shire council to vacate the Pioneer Street, Foster building where it has run an opp shop for well over 30 years, and for PCAC, which has long been looking for innovative ways to raise funds.
The new ‘Prom Community Opp Shop’ will open at 18 Main Street in Foster in early December, in good time to cater for the regular influx of holidaymakers to the Foster area over the summer period, as well as locals who love opp-shopping.
Lloyd McKenzie, from the Linton Court board, said he was thrilled to have the support of Prom Country Aged Care in running the opp shop.
“We have a great team of volunteers, with loads of team spirit, and their enthusiasm is infectious. Everyone is so excited to be working together.”
Mr McKenzie said that since it began operating in 1979/80, the opp shop has raised in excess of $250,000 for Linton Court. That figure should multiply many times over with the input of the PCAC volunteers and the greatly expanded opening hours and trading days. The shop will be open most days of the week.
The new home for the opp shop is the building which housed Roger Kidd’s Coast to Coast Building Service until the building surveyor‘s recent death.
“The Kidd family has been very helpful in expediting the arrangements for the lease of the shop to enable us to open as early as possible,” said a grateful Mr McKenzie.
He added: “What a great community we have! So many people have embraced the idea with enthusiasm and offered their help. As we prepare the shop, we have already had many offers of support from local tradespeople. It’s been heart-warming.”
Sandy Bucello, vice president of the PCAC board of management, is equally enthusiastic about the new enterprise.
“We were always keen to run an opp shop,” she said. “It seems a natural fit, when so often families have to dispose of whole households of items as people move into residential aged care. The need for the Linton Court opp shop to move to new premises has presented a great opportunity for us to work together to raise funds.”
She said that PCAC would put any funds raised towards big-ticket items such as buildings and assets, beginning with solar panels for Prom Country House.
The opp shop will be run solely by volunteers, but it will be a highly professional operation, Ms Bucello explained. PCAC’s old Banksia Lodge is to be used as a warehouse where donated stock can be accepted and sorted. Stock at the shop will be replenished regularly to ensure there are plenty of fresh items to excite buyers.
Items that the opp shop will be selling include: books, clothing, shoes, antiques, crystal, household goods, craft goods, paintings, toys, games, jigsaws, wool, materials, pottery, vases, crockery, glassware, cutlery, furniture, CDs, DVDs, tools, jewellery, belts, collectables, mirrors, porcelain, musical instruments, baby gear and any other quality items.
Some items, especially larger goods such as furniture, will be sold online, and from time to time garage sales will be held. All proceeds from sales will be shared between Linton Court and Prom Country Aged Care.
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