Our History: Built on Community, Brick by Brick
Brix began with a vision and a brick.
In the early 1990s, Mission Care was in the process of building Elmwood Care Home. To involve the local community and raise essential funds, the organisation launched a Brick Appeal. Around the same time, two local residents, Elizabeth and Bridget, were exploring the idea of opening a charity shop on Chatterton Road. When they heard about the appeal, inspiration struck and the idea of a charity shop to support the care home's construction was born.
The result was BRIX Mission Care, named in honour of the Brick Appeal that inspired it. The shop opened its doors in June 1993, transformed from a former hairdressers into a community-driven charity shop, fitted out entirely with donated items and supported by generous volunteers.
Volunteers didn’t just run the shop; they helped build it. Community members contributed time, skills, and passion from renovation work to donation pickups. The shop quickly became a hub of local life.
Mission Care placed just two guiding principles on the shop, Brix would close on Sundays in respect of the Sabbath and Non-Christian items would not be sold, to reflect the charity’s Christian ethos.
All proceeds from Brix initially went directly to Elmwood Care Home, with regular updates in-store showing which items such as beds or equipment had been funded. Over time, as Mission Care grew, Brix’s contributions were redirected to support all the charity's care homes, helping to sustain its broader mission.
As the shop evolved, so did its name becoming known as On a Mission – BRIX. But its heart remained the same: a safe, inviting space where everyone is welcome, and every purchase helps make a difference.
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