Customers who bought items from wearenotashop.com have made a huge difference to two major charities in Malta.
Launched not long before the pandemic by Martin and Stephanie Laing, the popular online shopping experience blends altruism with eye-catching design. It offers a carefully curated collection of hard-to-find new or antique items in return for donations – with many pieces also promoting and preserving the local heritage.
Every cent received for the store’s wide range of unusual new and antique homeware items, artworks, gifts and jewellery goes towards charity, supporting the Save the Valletta Skyline Appeal and St John Malta.
To date, wearenotashop.com has raised €81,730 for both charities via its 591 clients and 1,260 completed orders. €49,038 have supported the Save the Valletta Skyline Appeal and €32,692 has helped St John Malta.
“The idea of an online shop was Stephanie’s, following the success of some earlier pop-up shops and with the enthusiastic support and hard work of a fantastic team. wearenotashop.com has always had the potential to do so much good, long-term, as these results show,” says Martin Laing.
Laing is also chairman of the Save the Valletta Skyline Appeal, which aims to raise €8 million to fund vital restoration works to St Paul’s Anglican Pro-Cathedral in Valletta, thus preserving this key feature of the capital’s iconic skyline.
Forty per cent of all money raised through wearenotashop.com supports St John Malta, a voluntary organisation that provides first aid, healthcare and support services to the local community.
“The impact of wearenotashop.com is very significant,” Michael Frendo, chairman of St John Malta, said.
“It helps us fund a part-time administrator to ensure the organisation addresses its goals by providing ambulance, first aid training and rescue services through its volunteers.
“Future funds will enable us, among other projects, to set up another professional First Aid Training Room in our HQ and a project in Corradino to protect the ambulances from the elements when not in use.”
Donations are welcome via the contact form on www.wearenotashop.com. More information about the Save the Valletta Skyline Appeal can be found online at www.stpaulspromalta.org and about St John Malta at www.stjohnmalta.org.