Shailesh Vara MP officially opened the first Deafblind UK charity shop and advice centre in Werrington, Peterborough. Also at the opening were the charity’s Chief Executive Steve Conway along with other staff.

The shop, which is at the Werrington Centre, is now open to the public and sells second hand clothes, books, media, toys, games and homeware. All proceeds go to the national charity, Deafblind UK, which is based in Hampton. 

People visiting the shop will be able to learn new techniques and tips on how to live more safely with deafblindness and will have access to different technology to keep them in touch with the world.

The shop promises to be a valued local amenity not just for the deafblind community to shop and socialise but for family members and carers too.

Following his visit, Mr Vara said:

“I was delighted to officially open the new facilities which will greatly benefit the deafblind community and their families, friends and carers. Deafblind UK offer wonderful support to those in need and the shop and centre are an excellent addition to support the work the charity does across the country.

“This is the first Deafblind UK charity shop and I very much hope that it will be one of many, in the not too distant future.”

Steve Conway, added:

“This is a very proud moment for Deafblind UK and we were delighted to welcome Shailesh Vara MP to open the shop.  Since the opening we have been overwhelmed by the amount of support the shop has had from people donating stock, offering to volunteer, and of course our new customers. As a charity, we rely on voluntary donations to enable us to help deafblind people, so we are very grateful for this support.

 “We are also excited to be able to let more local people know that we’re here to support them if they have problems with their combined sight and hearing loss. Remember, deafblindness doesn’t mean you can’t see or hear anything so if you’re struggling with your sight and your hearing on any level, come and talk to us.”