W.H.(Wicklow Homeless) Five Loaves Charity Boutique are delighted to have recently taken on the lease for the adjacent building allowing them to expand their much loved Bray shop. The charity who actively support the homeless aswell as those who may be in need of additional support due to whatever their personal circumstances may be, have had a presence in Bray for almost 20 yrs now and have helped countless individuals and families in that time.
Pictured: Ben O’Brien at the Bray Store.
Having initially set up their Charity shop at the Bray Recycling Centre premises just off the Boghall road, 2020 saw the organisation loose the lease on their premises and threw them into somewhat of a panic. Luckily, an opportunity arose from the unexpected situation and they have subsequently found themselves in a much more suitable location at the top of Bray Town, adjacent to Bray Town Hall.
The expansion will see the current Five Loaves Charity boutique expanding into the next door shop and opening a secondhand book store. The new addition will sell not just a large selection of books but vintage comics, vinyl and other collectables. Bray has long been lamenting the loss of Town Hall books, a secondhand book store which held more than a few treasures amongst the piles of dusty volumes. Following a relocation from the Town Hall area of the town to Florence road, the store finally closed their doors a number of years ago and the town has been without a secondhand book shop since.
Whilst the charity boutique is quite literally the shopfront to the operation, there is a huge amount of work that goes on within the five loaves organisation which is less visible to the public but hugely important to the community. Their drop in centre, located just a few doors down from the shop, offers a safe space during the day along with washing facilities for those who cannot otherwise access them. 2 hot meals are available during the day and the centre also offers what is perhaps the most important of all, the opportunity for human interaction in a safe space.
If you would like to support the work of the W.H.Five Loaves Charity, you can use the following links.
Donate €2 towards providing hot meals by texting HOTMEAL to 50300
Donate directly to their food bank, Directly to their bank account or in store. Visit their donation page on their website here.
