‘Help reopen our country’s great charity shops’ says charity retail association

THE Charity Retail Association (CRA) has launched a campaign asking for the public’s help to reopen our country’s great charity shops by being mindful about what they donate and contacting their local charity shop before dropping off donations.

The campaign led by the CRA will include social media activity, videos and downloadable posters, which charity shops can display in their windows. If a charity shop is not able to accept donations, we are asking donors to contact other local charity shops or to hold onto their donations until they can be accepted. People can find their local charity shops at: https://www.charityretail.org.uk/find-a-charity-shop1/

Charity shops in England will start reopening from Monday 15^th June. This is great news for the sector as, across the UK, charity shops have lost customer sales of £3.4 million a day during the lockdown.

Most charity retailers will be reopening on a phased basis, meaning they might open a small number of shops to begin with on 15^th June, with the others to follow. There will also be altered opening hours for many shops and possibly changes to how donations will be accepted.

Robin Osterley, Chief Executive of the CRA, says “Measures are being taken to ensure that staff, volunteers and customers are kept safe, and the risks are minimised when reopening.

“Charity shops couldn’t operate without their dedicated workforce including over 233,000 volunteers, and the money raised goes towards incredible causes. Donations from the public are very much appreciated, and needed, at this time. We are asking the public to bear with us and help charity shops reopen safely. Everyone can do their bit to help our amazing charity shops get back on their feet. This crisis has proven that together, we are stronger.

As charity shops reopen, we are expecting an influx of donations that people have been saving up during the lockdown. We are asking donors to check when, where and how their local charity shop is accepting donations as many shops have limited storage space. In the unlikely event that a charity shop is not able to accept donations at all, we are encouraging people to contact other local charity shops or to hold on to their donations until they can be accepted.” 

Sarah Coles, Head of Trading at Hospice of St. Francis, says “Donations are our lifeblood and we will need everyone’s support to manage these safely. Donors can help by thinking carefully about what they donate and getting in touch with shops before dropping off donations”.

Karen McKenzie, Income Generation Director at Douglas Macmillan Hospice, comments “As a local independent hospice we are hugely dependant on the income from our 22 charity shops and stock donations are the basis of our success, we hope our supporters will be extra thoughtful regarding what they donate because we are going to have less space and resources to dispose of items we are not able to sell.”

Allison Swaine-Hughes, Retail Director at the British Heart Foundation, says; “Throughout the pandemic, our number one priority has been keeping our staff, volunteers and customers safe and this continues to be the case as we reopen. We have made significant changes to how we operate, both in our shops but also our collection services, online operations and the ways we accept and collect donations to ensure the safety of those who work, volunteer and shop with us.

“Coronavirus has cost the British Heart Foundation £10 million a month at a time when people living with heart and circulatory diseases need our support more than ever. Once up and running, our shops will be hugely grateful for donations big or small, so please do keep hold of good quality items that could help fund our life saving heart research. Customers are already able to shop with us via our online shop and eBay store.

We are hugely grateful for the patience of all our customers and look forward to welcoming you back soon.”

Members of the public who are interested in volunteering can go to www.charityshopvolunteer.org.uk and sign up in a very simple and short process. Charity retailers who have vacancies will then be able to identify potential volunteers according to their location and specific charity interest (eg medical research, animal welfare etc).