A WOMAN who founded an Aberystwyth charity shop after her four children were diagnosed with a rare genetic disease has shut up shop after more than 31 years.

Ann Hughes said there were “tears” and “laughter” during an emotional farewell to the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign shop on Bath Street, which Ann and a group of volunteers have run for 31 years and four months.

The shop shut for the last time on Friday, 6 October, and Ann, who is originally from near Pitlochry in Perthshire, Scotland, told the Cambrian News how the shop came to be.

Ann and husband Rheon, from north Wales, had four children, all of whom were born with muscular dystrophy, a potentially fatal disease which causes the skeletal muscles to weaken.

“My husband and I got into it,” she said. “We had four children affected by the disease and we decided to ring headquarters and tell them we wanted to raise money for them. We had three sons and one daughter. Our daughter Lyn died 17 years ago at the age of 30.

“Our three sons — Colin, 52, and twins Alan and Ian, 51 — are alive and living in their own properties with 24-hour care.

“If you can imagine that you cannot reach for your favourite book, that you can’t wash and dress yourself, take yourself off the toilet or get yourself a drink from a very young age.”

Asked whether it felt unfair that her children were born with muscular dystrophy when neither she nor Rheon had lived with it, Ann was philosophical.

“It hasn’t been in our family for many generations. It is just one of those things in life. All children are gifts from God.

“We do all pay tribute to the many people affected, many of whom die between the ages of 14 and 30, to all the joy they brought to their families.”

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