A shop property at 95 Rosemount Place in Aberdeen’s busy residential Rosemount area, has been leased to Archway, an Aberdeen-based charity which supports local children and adults with learning disabilities, by DM Hall, one of Scotland’s largest firms of independent chartered surveyors.

The charity shop which is scheduled to open by the end of February has appealed successfully in local media for local volunteers to help prepare it for opening.

Archway was the first carer-led charity in Aberdeen to champion the provision of respite services and since then has developed into an innovative charity dedicated to improving the quality of life for people with learning disabilities. It currently supports nearly 200 children and adults with learning disabilities through its respite, shared and permanent care services.

The 1,295 sq. ft. retail premises, located on the busy Rosemount Place thoroughfare a short distance to the north of Aberdeen city centre was marketed at an annual rental value of £17,500.

Lisa Cowie of DM Hall, who was responsible for its marketing, said: “There was a significant degree of interest in this property, not least because Rosemount Place is a busy thoroughfare and the hub of a high-density residential area.

Janine Davies, fundraising manager at Archway, said: “This is our first charity shop and it will be fundraising for lots of the equipment that we use for respite trips, such as minibuses.
“It has taken a lot of hard work to get the project to this stage and we’re hoping to offer some of our service users the chance to work there in supported work”.

Anyone interested in becoming involved as a volunteer can contact the charity via the direct shop e-mail on charity.shop@archway.org.uk. Alternatively, people should contact the admin office on 01224 643327.