COVID-19 (coronavirus): Notice to our customers and supporters
With a heavy heart, in March 2020 we took the decision to temporarily close our 19 shops and warehouse in Worcestershire to protect staff, volunteers, donors and customers from the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).
We have the most fantastic support from the people of Worcestershire and we very much look forward to welcoming everyone back when the government advises it is safe to open our doors once again.
We are delighted to be able to open our first three shops in mid June, read more here
In the mean-time, we are kindly asking our supporters not to leave donations outside our shops. We are also suspending all furniture and other donation collections for the time being.
However we are ready and waiting to collect your furniture donations just as soon as we can to help raise funds towards St Richard’s care of patients and loved ones. In the meantime we would really appreciate it if you are having a clear out that you save your furniture items for us.
To help us plan for collections please could you:
• Email a photo and description of the item to Furniture@strichards.org.uk
• Include your full name, address including post code and telephone number
• Add your gift aid number if you have signed up to the scheme previously
To help us collect promptly, easy access would be appreciated i.e. collect from garage if possible. Thank you.
You can read our full statement here. Thank you for your patience and understanding at this difficult time.
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St Richard’s Hospice has shops based across Worcestershire selling a wide variety of goods which have been donated by the generous public.
The quality of our care depends on the quality of your donations. For advice on making a donation, and examples of what we can and can’t accept, see our Quality Donation Guide.
Our shops consist of furniture shops which also sell electrical items; a dedicated book shop which has approximately 15,000 books on show from paperbacks to rare collectables; a dress agency come high end designer quality clothing, antiques, and bric a-brac, and a cafe situated at our St Swithins street store alongside books and clothing etc and general charity shops offering a wide variety of women’s and men’s clothing – all supported by over 350 volunteers. We are always needing volunteers to help in our shops so if you feel you can help in any way either speak directly to the staff at the shop who will ask you to fill in a form or phone 01905 763963 and ask to speak to our Volunteer Department.
We’ve gone plastic bag free
At St Richard’s Hospice, we take our responsibility to the environment seriously. That’s why we no longer use plastic bags in our shops.
Please bring your own bags, or purchase one of our reusable bags in store.
We hope this small change will help make a big difference to the environment. Thank you for your understanding.
Gift Aid for the Shops
We encourage all donors, who are UK tax payers, when bringing items into our shops to take up the opportunity to Gift Aid them. This means that with the donor’s permission we are able to use the proceeds from the sale of the donated goods and treat them as Gift Aid donations to St Richard’s Hospice. Currently for every £1 qualifying donation received we can claim repayment from HMRC of 25 pence.
We can now sign you up directly for Gift Aid on our electronic tills and issue you with a barcode which will be your unique Gift Aid Donor ID and you will be given a card with this barcode on. (If you have previously registered for Gift Aid your old five or six digit number will be replaced by this new barcode). Please bring this card with you when donating through our shops in order that we can identify your items enabling us to claim from HMRC. At the end of each financial year you will be written to advising you of the total proceeds raised from selling your goods and the amount the Hospice can reclaim in Gift Aid from HMRC for the Hospice.
Should any of your circumstances change please let us know either by writing to the Hospice for the attention of the Commercial Department or emailing customerservices@strichards.org.uk.
We currently have over 24,000 donors signed up for the shops gift aid and are raising around £100,000 a year from this scheme. As you will appreciate this is an excellent way of gaining extra funds for the hospice. Please help us to continue for many years to come.
For the Shops Gift Aid Agreement details please click Shops Gift Aid Agreement Terms and Conditions 2020
During this challenging time, we are doing our utmost to continue caring for the patients and loved ones who need us most.
The way we work has been adapted, with many of our services delivered remotely – such as over the phone, or by video call. And we are working closely with other health care professionals in Worcestershire to share knowledge and expertise at this time.
Latest changes at St Richard’s Hospice
Please do not visit St Richard’s Hospice if you have a high temperature or new, continuous cough. If you have these symptoms, please stay at home and self-isolate for seven days. See NHS advice on coronavirus.
Thank you for your support and understanding at this difficult time.
