DAiSY~Chain Artists Nomzi and Natalie Priest introduce their mural and open Scope’s new accessible charity shop in Surbiton!
Natalie Priest next to her mural at Scope, Surbiton
DAiSY~Chain artist Nomzi and Natalie Priest assisted Sir Robin Millar on Thursday 1 August in opening disability equality charity Scope’s newly built charity shop in Surbiton, where they had been working hard over the last week or so painting each of their brand new mural artworks.
The murals will be a permanent feature of the shop, and are inspired by the local Surbiton area.
About Scope’s new shop in Surbiton
Disability equality charity Scope is opened their first charity shop in Surbiton on Thursday 1 August at 10.30am.
Located at 82a Victoria Road, the shop has the charity’s new look interior design, with accessibility key to the layout. The entrance is step free and the aisles are wider than most traditional shops, to allow for easy manoeuvring for wheelchair and mobility scooter users and, parents with pushchairs and prams.
The till area is lowered for easy reach and the double changing room, which is fitted with a seat and handrails for safety, can be adjusted to fit a power wheelchair and carer. The back of house is also accessible for disabled colleagues and volunteers to work in or make refreshments.
The shop will have a relaxing atmosphere with vintage, industrial look, fixtures with white exposed brick walls. There’s also a Community Corner with comfortable seating and a chalk board, to invite the community to share their views on disability equality.
Nomzi next to her new mural artwork at Scope, Surbiton
The shop will offer their new collection, Selected by Scope, a range of brand-new items from leading high street labels alongside a stunning range of pre-loved donations and beautiful gifts, from the charity’s Disabled Artists Collection.
Scope has collaborated with two disabled artists from DAiSY Natalie Priest and Nomzi, to create artwork inspired by Surbiton which will be permanent fixtures in the shop. DAiSY (Disability Arts in Surrey) is an umbrella organisation which promotes and celebrates the works of disabled artists and disability arts organisations in Surrey.
Charity shops have become a national institution and the opening comes as Scope research shows people really do love donating to charity shops rather than sell online:
- Two in three (68%) people in the South East of England prefer to donate their items after a clear out to a charity shop compared to just one in four (24%) prefer to sell their items on resale apps.
- An overwhelming four in five (81%) say donating to charity shops makes them feel good.
- A further two in three (69%) donate to charity shops because they love the space they get back and four in five (78%) agreed they believe their donation to a charity shop will fund something important and it’s as good as giving money to charity.
Scope charity shop is at 82a Victoria Road, Surbiton, KT6 4NS
“We’re incredibly excited to be opening our new look shop in Surbiton. We think this is a fantastic location in a wonderful community and we can’t wait to serve our new customers.
I hope the community enjoys the accessibility of this shop too, we’ve designed it to give everyone a wonderful and relaxing shopping experience. There’s even a comfortable seat in our Community Corner for people to sit down if they need a break from shopping. They’ll find our rails are full of stylish, brand-new high-street ranges, quality, pre-loved outfits at affordable prices.
We’re also very proud of our collaborations with two amazing, local disabled artists from DAiSY, who have created two, stunning pieces of art for our community corner. Their work will be a permanent feature for everyone to enjoy.
Without the support from our fantastic volunteers we couldn’t run our shops. If you have a few hours to spare and want to get out of the house, you’re looking to enhance your CV or need to complete your Duke of Edinburgh award, volunteering offers so many incredible opportunities, at hours suitable to you and we’d love you to come in for a chat.
We’d also love you to drop off your pre-loved donations you no longer want. We’ll ensure they go to a new home to be loved once again and you’ll love the space you get back. The charity’s services have never been needed more than during the cost-of-living crisis and every donation helps us to raise vital funds for Scope to support disabled people and their families.”