NO WONDER they celebrated with an anniversary party, complete with cake, candles, and banners. The volunteers who run a charity shopin the village of Abercynon, in the Valleys of the diocese of Llandaff, have raised £40,000 for good causes over the past 15 years.

It was set up and run by volunteers from the parish of Abercynon, and had to move to larger premises a few years ago. The Priest-in-Charge of Abercynon, the Revd Dr Sarah Rogers, led a special service as part of the celebrations.

The shop is open Monday to Friday, and its stock includes women's clothes and bric-a-brac. More recently, it has been extended to include new knitted stock made by parishioners during Lent. Their work extends from tea cosies and blankets to lavender bags and cardigans.

The shop's manager, Lynne Landeg, says that it was very much a leap of faith when they set up the shop. "We couldn't have done any of it without the wonderful team of volunteers both past and present. . . It gives me such a lot of satisfaction in what we have achieved here, and the social side is tremendous - we have so much fun, often meeting up for socials outside of the shop."

The money raised goes to parish church funds and local children's charities, and there are monthly coffee mornings in the shop as well as regular raffles. Dr Rogers says that it plays an important part in the life of the parish: "It is a great place to meet and to interact with everyone in the area."