Sale raises almost £1,000 for Melksham charity

A MELKSHAM charity shop has been delighted by the success of a special sale, which raised almost £1,000 of desperately-needed funds. 

Cats Action Trust North & West Wiltshire is still recovering from the financial impact of the national lockdowns which forced the closure of its Bath Road shop. 

In an effort to generate more income, the charity organised an end-of-summer sale with a wide range of special offers on clothes, shoes and books. 

The promotion launched in the first weekend of September and was due to last three weeks, but was so successful that almost everything was sold in just two weeks. 

It raised more than £930 to support the rescue and rehoming of local cats and kittens. 

Trust chair Tracy Waldron said, “We are sincerely grateful to all of our donors and customers, and especially to all of our wonderful volunteers who worked so hard during such a busy period. 

“This was one of our most successful sales and will go a long way towards rebuilding our finances after the pandemic. 

“The charity has no paid staff, so almost every penny raised will directly support our efforts to provide temporary foster care for abandoned and unwanted cats and kittens until new homes are found for them.” 

The Trust shop, near the town bridge, is open on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 10am-3.30pm. 

November offers will include half-price shoes, boots and handbags, with scarves for £2 and pairs of gloves from just £1. ‘Flash sales’ also take place on a regular basis. 

The charity welcomes donations of good-quality clothes, books, toys, games, CDs, DVDs and bric-a-brac, but due to limited space, it cannot accept bulky items such as furniture, bedding and electrical items. 

Guidance on donations is available at www.catsactiontrust.org.uk/shop – please do not leave any items on the doorstep. 

The shop also acts as a collection point for donations of cat food and cat litter.