One Stop on Heslington Road is my local shop. I have always loved how friendly they are in there and been impressed that they always seemed to be fundraising for different local charities, but when I saw them save food for the local food bank and give away ‘hampers’ to local residents at Christmas I knew I needed to know a bit more.

So I popped in and had a chat with lovely manager Gina to find out what was behind this generous attitude.

I asked if she minded doing a little interview about the good they do in the shop and she remembered me being quite emotional when I saw her give a bag of christmassy groceries to a local man who was blown away by the generosity. I wondered if this was a policy of One Stop head office or a local store initiative.

‘Head office supported us on giving the hampers away to ten of our most regular customers, but it is the staff that drive our giving. We see everyone everyday and we know who are less fortunate and who would benefit most.

Laura wanted to help the local Mind charity on a personal level so she got us all involved. She did a run for them, Ash did an ice bucket challenge. Then we became part of the St Leonards Hospice Accumulator where 8 teams were given £30 to invest to make further money for them. We sold homemade jewellery and did coffees and teas in shop. The staff really enjoy it and push it.

We always carry the shopping home for one of our local older customers and call Age Concern for her should she have a problem. We think of many of our customers as our friends.

And we collect essentials for the local food bank.

Our community is important to us and we are important to them, we feel doing this sort of stuff makes us a real local shop, a really community hub.’

Both Gina and Ashley thought it was just obvious to do charitable work alongside their jobs; they found it rewarding to help others, and easy to be thoughtful and go that extra mile. But when I said to them imagine if EVERY shop did that in York, what a great society it would be, they agreed and wondered why they didn’t…

One Stop regularly give £2,000 to a good cause within 2 miles of their shops as part of their ‘Carrier for Causes’ grants, where they give away all the 5ps they make on carrier bags. And Heslington Road One Stop are on the look out for the next worthy cause… Could that be you? Is your organisation in Fishergate or Tang Hall? Check it out all about it here