Eco Savvy were thrilled to reopen their Community Shop in Whiting Bay a couple of weeks ago. Since then they’ve been incredibly busy welcoming new, and regular, customers into their shop.
Opening hours are Thurs – Sat, 10:30am – 4:30pm.
Please note that they close each day for half an hour, between 1pm and 1:30pm to allow for extra cleaning to be carried out before their volunteers change shift.
Eco Savvy offers a fantastic selection of everyday items, more friendly to our environment through their ingredients and packaging, e.g. bamboo toothbrushes, reusable cloths, soap & shampoo bars, deodorant, etc. The shop also holds an amazing selection of donated goods – books, clothes, toys & games, music, film, household & DIY items, electricals, craft supplies, and much more. The stock is ever changing thanks to the many kind donations they receive.
Eco Savvy are very grateful for any donations you may have for them, that are clean, and small enough to fit on a shelf. They are unable to accept larger donations than this for the foreseeable future. There are also certain items they can’t take – safety equipment like cycle helmets, and car seats, some electrical items like heaters, electric blankets, and microwaves, gas appliances, children’s safety equipment, and soft toys without their CE label. If you’re not sure about any of your items, just email Val Waite val.ecosavvy@gmail.com, ask in the shop or phone 700 417 (Thurs – Sat).
For larger items, options are to post them on the Facebook pages Arran For Sale & Wants or Free on Arran, or use other selling sites such as eBay. Just give Val a shout if you need any help with this. They’re so sorry they can’t take any big items, due to the size of their premises. They will, however, do their best to help you find a new home for things, rather than them going into landfill. If you have items which are broken, damaged beyond repair, or not suitable for resale, the Waste Transfer Station in Brodick has great facilities for recycling electricals, clothes, wood, metal, glass, paper and plastics.
Eco Savvy are running a booking system for donations, so they don’t get overwhelmed. Appointments can be made for Mondays and Thursdays, between 10:30am and 12:30pm by contacting Shop Manager Val Waite (on the above email). If these days are not suitable for you, please message Val to see if an alternative day can be arranged. All items must be dropped off at the Weigh Bridge building in Whiting Bay (between Bay Wool & Crafts and the Post Office). Donations must be kept aside for 72hrs before sorting, to ensure the highest level of safety for their volunteers. They’re keeping everything separate in the Weigh Bridge, and have strict procedures due to Covid, so please don’t leave donations outside the shop for them, even when they’re open.
Shop manager Val said:
“It’s been absolutely fantastic to open again, and I cannot thank our customers and volunteers enough. Our shop is very small, so we can only really admit 1 person, or family group, at a time. Many thanks to everyone, for waiting patiently to enter the shop, and for so kindly supporting us. Your many donations have also been greatly appreciated. I’d also like to say a big thank you to our volunteers, for all their time and effort. They do such fantastic work for Eco Savvy. Our volunteers are at the heart of what we do – we would not be here without them!”
If anyone is interested in shop volunteering, please contact Val to find out more.
