The Ashford Freeshop Journey began when Carolina saw a Facebook post asking for community champions who might be interested in running a freeshop in their home town. She applied on the 26th October 2025 and the journey began.
Training Begins
Carolina began learning from Maya how to run a successful Freeshop. In early November Carolina started having phone conversations with Maya to understand the journey that Maya has been through to set up www.mayas.org.uk and what it took to be so successful. Maya’s 2025 impact report showed that they had created social value of over £2.1 Million for the community in 12 months. Phone calls became webinars and Zoom calls which led to evenings and weekends coming to Herne Bay to meet with Maya and her team. Carolina with the help of Maya registered Carolina Community CIC on the 18th December 2025. Lots of hard work ahead but the Journey had begun.
Pop up Freeshops
On the 29th April 2026 (Earth day) Ashford Freeshop team led by Carolina and Maya (From www.freeshops.co.uk – The Freeshops Training Academy who have been guiding and training Carolinas team and www.mayas.org.uk the award winning original Freeshop from Herne Bay). They had a few rails inside a high street cafe , stood outside giving away free oranges (surplus oranges donated by Fareshare UK and flyers explaining what a Freeshop is.
Word spread with the help and support from KMTV and volunteers started contacting Carolina and the Ashford Freeshop team. Soon there were people offering to host pop up Freeshops on their drive ways and schools / Nursery’s. As word spread Carolina was fundraising to get the rental deposit and first months rent on a commercial unit in South Stour Avenue. Her fundraising hit £1,000 (Click here to see The Ashford Freeshop fundraising page). The landlord contacted Carolina and offered her to move in if she signed the heads of terms. She would continue to fundraise for the deposit and rent but he believed in the power of community and could see that the sooner Ashford Freeshop opens the sooner it will start to have revenue coming in for the rent.
Ashford Freeshop Opens
On the 22nd April 2026 the Ashford Freeshop opened. In the three weeks running up to the opening everyone was busy painting, cleaning , building racking , recruiting and training new volunteers. Volunteers from Herne Bay Maya’s Freeshop travelled to Ashford to help with the training, passing on the years of experience they have gained working with Maya in Herne Bay. Ashford Freeshop volunteers also made many trips to Herne Bay to fully stock the Freeshop ready for the grand opening.
Lady Colgrain (Lord Lieutenant for Kent did us the honour of cutting the ribbon and officially opening the Freeshop).
In the first four weeks of being open there was over 4,000 visitors. The community flocked to the Ashford Freeshop , businesses visited to support offering support of food , equipment, building materials and signage. The £1 entry paid by the community using the shop allowed Ashford Freeshop to pay the landlord the deposit and rent proving that the concept of a community run Freeshop works , it can be fully financially sustainable if set up and run correctly. Carolina and the Ashford Freeshop team worked really hard to follow the Method taught by Maya and the Freeshops Training Academy who were there to support them at every step.