The Paul Sartori Foundation, Pembrokeshire’s only Hospice at Home Service, is pleased to announce the official opening of the Sartori Home Furnishings Store and Warehouse in Snowdrop Lane, Haverfordwest, sharing the premises with family owned Cartlett Home and Garden Store.

Ninety-nine per cent of the items sold at the Paul Sartori Foundation retail outlets are donated by the general public. At the Sartori Stores, you can buy quality recycled, donated clothes, antiques, jewellery, vintage/retro, household items and furniture while supporting Pembrokeshire’s only Hospice at Home Care Service.

Mr. Ian Westley, chief executive of Pembrokeshire County Council, officially opened the store in front of a crowd of visitors. The warehouse is the Sartori retail outlet distribution centre and is vital in coordinating collections and distributing kind donations amongst the 10 Sartori Stores throughout the county.

The opening was well-attended, including the Mayor of Haverfordwest, Clr. Alan Buckfield and Mayoress Mrs. Buckfield, Paul Sartori Foundation volunteers, trustees, staff and members of the public.

Charles Clewett, chair of the foundation, welcomed everybody. Mr. Clewett also thanked the owners of Cartlett, Mr. Brian Rickard and family, who left a considerable amount of store equipment for the Foundation to use. Charles also extended thanks to the volunteers and staff who worked tirelessly to relocate from Honeyborough and ensure the store opened on time, without affecting customers, donors and the other stores.

Clr. Buckfield talked about the vital partnership between Pembrokeshire County Council and Paul Sartori Foundation. Clr. Buckfield explained how the discretionary business rate rebate boosts the charity income which helps fund the vital hospice at home service.

Jean Morris from the Pembrokeshire Association of Voluntary Services explained the value of volunteering for charitable organisations such as the foundation explaining that: “Volunteers are not paid, not because they are worthless, but because they are priceless.”

Thanks to community generosity and support, the 11 Sartori Stores raised a net profit of £233,331 equating to over 9,300 hands-on nursing care hours.

The hands-on care service is one of nine other services, including equipment loan, advanced care planning, physiotherapy, complementary therapy, bereavement counselling, training and education, clinical nurse specialist, general enquiries, and standby services. Last year, the charity delivered a total, 17,259 hours of care to over 800 people across Pembrokeshire.

The services provided by the Paul Sartori Foundation are free of charge, available 24-hours a day, 365 days a year and enable people who are living in the later stages of life to die at home, pain free, with dignity, independence, and surrounded by those they hold most dear, if that is their wish.

For further information on the charity, or if you can offer your time and would like to volunteer, please visit the new warehouse in Haverfordwest, visit their website www.paulsartori.org, or phone 01437 763223.