The St Richard’s Hospice Droitwich charity shop is celebrating 20 years since it first opened in the town.
The shop in Gurneys Lane has been at the heart of the community for two decades and is currently supported by 35 volunteers. One volunteer, Sandra Preece, has been volunteering since the shop first opened.
Shop Manager Fiona Edge said, “we wanted to celebrate the milestone and say thank you to all our loyal customers who donate items to the shop or buy our pre-loved goods.”
She added, “It’s thanks to them that we are able to help raise funds to support St Richard’s care of patients and their loved ones. I am also full of admiration and thanks for all our volunteers, past and present, who make it possible to continue running the shop in our community.”
St Richard’s Hospice shops are always keen to recruit more volunteers and recently launched a campaign aimed at recruiting 101 volunteers in 101 days to help run the charity’s 17 stores across Worcestershire.
The high street stores are the charity’s face within the community and last year their shops achieved a turnover of £2.37m through the sale of good quality clothes, bric-a-brac, books and furniture donated by local people.
Danny Corns, Commercial Director, said; “We have developed a successful chain of shops across the county and are very grateful for the dedication of our volunteers and the local community who generously support the hospice.”
“In order to continue this success we would welcome new volunteers to join our team. Not only will their volunteering help to make a difference to our patients and families, but they will be at the heart of the community; make new friends, gain new skills and have fun!”
Mr Corns explained, “We decided to focus on recruiting 101 volunteers to get people interested and start a conversation.”
He added, “We realise that many people have a very busy lifestyle but would still like to get involved in volunteering so we are flexible to fit in with their needs. Just a few hours a week in one of our shops, in the short or long term, will make a big difference.”
St Richard’s is offering taster sessions in the shops to try out volunteering and also running a number of information sessions in their stores around Worcestershire. To find out more, visit your local shop or read here
St Richard’s Hospice provides free specialist palliative care for patients living with life-limiting illnesses and supports their families. Each year the hospice team supports over 2,500 patients and family members in Worcestershire with compassion, kindness, dignity and respect.
Patients are cared for in Day Hospice, the 17-bed In-patient Unit or in their own homes by a specialist professional team as well as many trained volunteers.
In the In-patient Unit, specialist staff are on hand 24 hours a day to manage patients’ symptoms and where, if appropriate, patients may spend the last few days of life in comfort and dignity. St Richard’s is an independent charity and is grateful for all donations to help it to continue its work.