MP Daisy Cooper visits new eBay hub in St Albans charity shop after £10k boost
St Albans MP Daisy Cooper visited homelessness charity Emmaus Hertfordshire’s new store in St Albans town centre to celebrate their return to the city.
The store, which opened in January, is now also home to a new eBay hub which launched on Thursday (12 March) with a live ‘Second Chance Auction’, following a £10,000 funding boost.
The charity was recently announced as one of 25 sellers to receive a £10,000 cash grant though eBay’s Up & Running Grants programme which helps sellers fund ambitions, fuel growth and empower communities.
The Liberal Democrat MP officially declared the hub open during her first visit to the shop in St Peters Street, and had a chance to view an impressive range of upcycled and one-off auction items on sale.
Also given a tour of the store and the eBay Hub was Amanda Foley, the Chief Executive of St Albans City and District Council. The charity had previously thanked both for their support in finding these new premises.
Daisy said: “Emmaus do really important work helping people impacted by homelessness, and it was a pleasure to help them find a new store and to now visit the shop and officially open its new eBay Hub.
“There are some lovely items for sale – do please have a browse, pick up some nice pieces, and do so knowing that every purchase is supporting a fantastic charity."
The ‘Second Chance Auction’ eBay auction, showcases some of the charity’s most appealing and desirable items, both in store and online.
Emmaus Hertfordshire Chief Executive, Duncan Lewis said: “We were delighted to welcome MP Daisy Cooper to open our new eBay Hub, our exciting new e-commerce facility dedicated to making the most of our online operations.
“Daisy has been a long-term friend and supporter of Emmaus Hertfordshire and was instrumental in helping us search for new premises in the city centre, along with St Albans City and District Council. Our new shop wouldn’t have been possible without their incredible support.
“It was very fitting for Daisy and Amanda to join us in our new shop today and a pleasure to showcase our celebration auction in our new hub. We would like to extend a huge thank you to them both for joining us today and for their ongoing support.”
Emmaus Hertfordshire is a homelessness charity providing a home, support and work opportunities to help people change lives. People supported by the charity are known as companions.
The charity’s application video was submitted to eBay by e-commerce manager, Ellie Forray, beating off stiff competition from over a thousand sellers who entered.
In her application video, Ellie said: “At Emmaus we believe in giving a hand-up, not a hand-out, helping people rebuild their lives through meaningful work experience, skills development and community. This grant would allow me to provide a professional tech-enabled environment where companions can thrive.”
The ‘Second Chance Auction’ can be viewed in store or online via the charity’s eBay shop here: Emmaus Hertfordshire | eBay UK Stores.
It fittingly concludes on Global Recycling Day (18 March), highlighting both the charity’s commitment to sustainable commerce, and the theme for this year’s day - “Don’t Think Waste - Think Opportunity.”
The shop is located at 1 Lockey House, St Peters Street and is a large two-storey premises with general trading on the ground floor and its eBay Hub on the second floor. The shop is open from Tuesday to Saturday from 9.30am-5pm.