GWAAC opens its seventh shop in Gloucestershire
Summary
On Tuesday (June 23), Great Western Air Ambulance Charity (GWAAC) opened the doors to its seventh shop in Gloucestershire, in the heart of Bishop’s Cleeve, near Cheltenham. GWAAC is inviting residents and visitors to the area to come in and explore the sustainable and ethical selection of second-hand clothes, accessories, and household goods.
Details
The new shop, which occupies the former nursery at 25 Church Road, is open from 9am to 5pm Monday to Saturday. A warm welcome awaits and there is an opportunity to learn more about GWAAC’s impactful work in Gloucestershire. The Bishop’s Cleeve shop is the first one to open this year for the charity and GWAAC’s fourteenth trading shop overall.
Every purchase made and every donated item will directly support GWAAC, helping to ensure its critical care team can continue to be there for those in urgent need in Gloucestershire and beyond. A launch event on the first day of trading saw local volunteers and residents come together to share stories and express gratitude for the hard work that went into opening GWAAC’s Bishop’s Cleeve shop.
Special guest Ann Carter, a former patient of GWAAC , officially opened the shop by cutting the ribbon and giving a short speech. A local part-time teacher and grandmother of four, Ann needed GWAAC after suffering a cardiac arrest at home in March 2024. She received early CPR and defibrillation from bystanders and ambulance paramedics, before being put into an induced coma by GWAAC’s crew.
Ann went on to make a full recovery. At the shop opening, Ann said: “I’ve been supporting GWAAC since my cardiac arrest and now that the shop is local to me, I can support them even more. Because of the skill, professionalism and rapid response of the crew, I am here to tell my story.
Quite simply, they saved my life.” Debbie Edgell, GWAAC’s Bishop’s Cleeve shop manager , expressed her heartfelt appreciation, saying: “The customers have been really positive, saying how nice, fresh and spacious the shop is.
We’re really happy to be part of the Bishop’s Cleeve community and I can’t wait to welcome everyone to the new shop.” 2025 was GWAAC’s busiest year on record, and it was a record year for call-outs in Gloucestershire for the third year running. 677 people in Gloucestershire needed the help of GWAAC’s critical care team, making up 29% of GWAAC’s total missions across its whole region.
With patient numbers rising year on year, money raised by the new Bishop’s Cleeve shop will help keep Gloucestershire’s critical care and air ambulance service operational. For local people interested in becoming a retail volunteer at the shop, visit the volunteer page on the charity’s website or contact GWAAC’s retail volunteer officer Katie, at [email protected] .
Report source: Punchline Gloucester