Portadown Wellness Centre opening new farm shop and Christmas shop

A new community farm shop featuring a great variety of premium quality produce and a seasonal Christmas shop including a toy store is opening on Saturday, September 16 from 9.30am to 5.30pm to help generate revenue to support those in need in the community.

Founded in September 2019, Portadown Wellness Centre provides support in a holistic way by offering professional counselling for both adults and children and solution-focused hypnotherapy. It also provides occupational therapeutic activities including weekly classes in arts and crafts, pottery and ceramics, woodwork, cookery, garden and horticulture and yoga.

In 2021 the centre developed a teaching Empower gardening and educational centre to help generate funds to support the important services that it provides.

Founder of Portadown Wellness Centre Alan McDowell said; “Sales of gardening products at our Empower centre were buoyant during May and June. For many customers it was their first visit to our centre and they appeared very impressed with our quality, value for money pricing and customer service.

"Furthermore, most were unaware that all profits from our garden centre are put back into Portadown Wellness Centre to provide important support for those in the community who might currently be struggling with mental health / emotional issues, loneliness or isolation.

"As gardening sales are seasonal, customers asked how they could support us over the winter months and we asked them what they thought we should do. In response they have suggested to us to develop a stylish farm shop where they can purchase some quality products on a weekly basis.”

Alan said that the centre was unsuccessful in funding applications from public sector bodies, but as a team they decided to use their feelings of disappointment and frustration positively and set about researching, developing and building a new community farm shop and seasonal Christmas shop including a toy store to create the necessary revenue needed to continue to provide the very important services the centre provides.

"The team at Portadown Wellness Centre and our social enterprises are delighted that we will launch our new community farm shop and seasonal Christmas shop, including a toy store on Saturday, September 16,” Alan added.

The farm shop will feature a great selection of premium quality fruits, vegetables, potatoes, cheeses, dairy products, bakery, vacuum packed meats, juices and many other delicious ambient products all at great value prices.

The toy store offers a huge selection of children’s toys at incredible prices, including snakes and ladders, Ludo, farm animals, musical recording microphones, dolls and mini robots.

And for those getting ready for the festive season there is a big choice in stylish Christmas decorations including baubles, artificial Christmas trees and ornaments.

"All profits from our Empower garden centre, community farm shop and seasonal Christmas shop including toy store are put back into Portadown Wellness Centre to help fund the important services that we provide for the community,” said Alan.

To find out more about Portadown Wellness Centre and the services available, call 0754 537 3413, email [email protected] or visit www.portadownwellnesscentre.com