Kingsbridge branch of Oxfam celebrated it’s 50th anniversary with a special party on Friday July 17.
It was also the day that long-serving shop Manager Pip Harris retired after 18 years service.
She reflected on her time in charge saying: “It’s been an emotional week but generally it’s time for me to have a change and I’m going in a year when we’ve got so much to celebrate for Oxfam in Kingsbridge. I had already run a shop here called Heaven and was delighted to take over from Sally Denham and hadn’t been able to leave since.”
The local branch opened during the long, hot summer of 1976 and began at number 81 when it was overseen by the larger-than-life character John Warren.
It moved to it’s current address at 45 Fore Street when the community chemist Beryl Washington finally shut up shop.
Pip said the organisation had a special meaning to her: “Working in an environment where you’re raising money to help others is so important and I’ve never lost sight of that.
“I’ve enjoyed the creativity, but the most important thing is the people, the volunteers, the donors and the customers.
“We have so many people coming back year after year because they love this shop.”
The Kingsbridge supporters enabled the shop to outgrow the space and when the shop next door at 47 Fore Street became available around 2015 it meant they could expand their offer of books and music.
Down the years the shop has relied on the generosity of local people who give their time to serve and process donations, the people who make high-quality donations and the customers themselves who buy the goods and support the efforts of the charity.
In 2026 Oxfam continue tackling global inequality while delivering humanitarian relief in a chaotic world.
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