A ROSS charity shop which opened its doors in 2013 has closed.

The Crested Crane charity shop in Henry Street opened its doors in 2013 in order to raise money for Ross-on-Wye’s twin town, Namutumba, in Eastern Uganda.

Over the years, money has been raised in the shop with donations from family, friends, ex-colleagues from John Kyrle High School and local people to support the Namutumba Disability Group to build and maintain a primary school, a piggery, a fishery and a micro credit scheme to enable the people of Namutumba to start a small business and become self-sufficient.

The twinning link has also been supported by Ross Lions, Rotary, most of the local primary schools and local churches in order to sustain the friendship, which has evolved since the start of the JKHS/Kisiki College school link in 1993.

Gareth Hughes, chairman of Ross Namutumba Link Organisation, and the team are very grateful to everyone who has contributed to the project through volunteering in the shop and by donating items to fill the shelves.

Despite the shop’s closure, the work to continue with the projects old and new, will continue in different forms - so watch for news on their Facebook page and, of course, the pages of this newspaper.