A BUSY Melksham charity shop is asking donors to plan ahead in order to help it cope with strict safety measures during the pandemic.
The Barnardo’s store in Verbena Court, behind the Water Meadow pub, has been inundated with donations after residents ‘decluttered’ their homes during lockdown.
The children’s charity is grateful for the support but now has less storage space as all items have to be quarantined for 48 hours, and there are fewer volunteers available to sort and price the stock. Therefore, donors are asked to telephone before visiting the store in order to check the team can accept donations, and to book a slot to avoid disappointment.
Barnardo’s store manager Helen West said, “We’re sincerely grateful to everyone for their support during these difficult times, and we’ve done our very best to accept donations whenever possible.
“However, the quarantine rules mean we have very limited space in which to store the bags which are coming in every day, and the physical distancing rules mean we have a smaller team available to go through everything.
“Therefore we’re asking residents to call us beforehand to book a date and time for when we can accept their donations.
“This will help to avoid a wasted journey, as well as reducing the number of people potentially visiting the store at the same time. We hope donors will be patient and understanding, and will hold onto their donations for just a little while longer so that we can still benefit from their generosity.”
The store is open Monday-Saturday from 9.30am-5pm and on Sundays from 10am-4pm and offers a wide range of clothes, books, toys, games, DVDs and other items, with lots of discounts and special offers.
Safety measures have been put in place for all Barnardo’s staff and volunteers, including gloves, masks and hand sanitisers, while customers are asked to wear a face covering, respect social distancing and pay by contactless where possible, with protective plastic screens at the till. Call (01225) 436806.
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