St George’s Crypt to open new charity venture

Dacres Commercial has let the property, at 27 Church Lane, to St George’s Crypt.

The unit is spread over two floors and offers about 217 square metres of ground floor retail space and 67 square metres of workshop and office space.

The new shop, known as Preloved of Pudsey, will open its doors tomorrow selling a wide range of donated items including furniture, toys, books and fashion.

The shop will also operate as a training centre for volunteers wanting to gain retail experience, and as a workshop that will upcycle furniture.

St George’s Crypt is based in Leeds city centre and has been on the frontline of support for homeless, disadvantaged and vulnerable people in Leeds and its surrounding areas since 1930.

Martin Patterson, from St George’s Crypt, said: “Preloved of Pudsey will complement the hugely popular St George’s Crypt Charity Shop and Café, which is located just a few miles away in Armley and it will create another valuable income stream for the charity.

“It will also offer a fantastic opportunity for the people we work with to learn new, practical skills whilst engaging with the local community, which makes it a very exciting project.”

Matthew Brear, from Dacres Commercial, said: “This unit is located right in the centre of the bustling market town of Pudsey, next door to Sainsbury’s and opposite the main bus station, so it benefits from good levels of footfall.

“The layout of the building is also fairly flexible, with a large ground floor retail area and four further areas, which could be used as offices or workshops, so it should be the perfect base for St George’s Crypt to create a successful retail experience from.”