Charity shop begins new chapter

City Hospice’s charity shop in Rhiwbina has turned a new page as it reopened as a bookstore last Friday following a refurbishment.

Renowned romance fiction author Jo Thomas officially opened the bookstore on 30 June as the Cardiff village hosted the Rhiwbina Festival Weekend.

The store is now dedicated to books, vinyl, games, puzzles and media for all the family. The new additions to the store include a Welsh language section, a vinyl player to try out records before buying and a dedicated seating area for story time sessions.

Jo Thomas said: “It was lovely to visit the new City Hospice bookstore in Rhiwbina today. I couldn’t believe how beautiful the display of my books was and I’ll come back before Christmas and bring more books to sign. It’s always a pleasure to help such a worthy cause.”

Mat Trick, Retail Operations Manager at City Hospice, said: “We’re pleased to reopen our Rhiwbina store as a dedicated bookstore for families and the community to enjoy. Our store manager Lisa and her team have been welcoming customers to the new, reimagined space since we opened during Rhiwbina Festival Weekend, helping them find great books for their summer holidays.

“The bookstore is a community space for City Hospice, with information readily available about the charity’s work as well as how people can get involved in volunteering and fundraising. In addition to story time sessions, we hope the space can be used for future crafting lessons and fundraising events. Rhiwbina has a fantastic community feel and there are a lot of local artists, crafters and readers who we would love to welcome to the store, whether they would like to shop, donate or volunteer with us.”