13 Mar 2026
St Albans MP Daisy Cooper has visited homelessness charity Emmaus Hertfordshire’s new store in St Albans to celebrate their return to the city.
The store, which opened in January at 1 Lockey House in the former Virgin Bank premises, is now also home to a new eBay hub which launched with a live ‘Second Chance Auction’, following a £10,000 funding boost.
The charity was recently announced as one of 25 sellers to receive a £10,000 cash grant though eBay’s Up & Running Grants programme which helps sellers fund ambitions, fuel growth and empower communities.
Daisy officially declared the hub open during her first visit to the shop in St Peter’s Street, and had a chance to browse a range of upcycled and one-off auction items on sale.
She said: “Emmaus do really important work helping people impacted by homelessness, and it was a pleasure to help them find a new store and to now visit the shop and officially open its new eBay Hub.
“There are some lovely items for sale – do please have a browse, pick up some nice pieces, and do so knowing that every purchase is supporting a fantastic charity.”
Emmaus Hertfordshire chief executive Duncan Lewis said: “Daisy has been a long-term friend and supporter of Emmaus Hertfordshire and was instrumental in helping us search for new premises in the city centre, along with SADC. Our new shop wouldn’t have been possible without their incredible support.”
Emmaus Hertfordshire is a homelessness charity providing a home, support and work opportunities to help people – known as companions – to change their lives for the better.
The charity’s application video was submitted to eBay by e-commerce manager, Ellie Forray, beating more than one thousand other sellers who entered the competition.
In her application video, Ellie said: “At Emmaus we believe in giving a hand-up, not a hand-out, helping people rebuild their lives through meaningful work experience, skills development and community. This grant would allow me to provide a professional tech-enabled environment where companions can thrive.”
The ‘Second Chance Auction’ can be viewed in store or online via the charity’s eBay shop: www.ebay.co.uk/str/emmaushertfordshire until March 18.
The Emmaus shop is open from Tuesday to Saturday from 9.30am-5pm.
