Hospice announces latest store reopening
A hospice has announced plans to reopen another of its shops as it seeks to get fundraising back on its feet after lockdown.
Hope House Children’s Hospice will be reopening its Ludlow store this week, with all customers now required to wear a face covering to enter.
The move comes after new working practices were bought in to make the store safe for customers, staff and volunteers.
In line with other re-openings the opening hours for the foreseeable future at the King Street store, which opens today will be 10am until 4pm, Tuesday to Saturday.
The hospice's head of retail Angela Whelan explained that new working practices have been introduced to keep customers and staff safe, including social distancing rules, hand sanitising stations at shop entrances, and contactless payment.
“All new donations are being isolated for 72 hours before sorting, in line with current guidelines,” said Angela.
“We have thought carefully about how we can open our stores and keep our staff and customers safe, taking into account social distancing and the new rules around wearing face coverings.”
As of last week anyone wanting to shop in the store, or any other of the charity’s English stores, will now be required to wear a face covering.
Donations of stock can be taken to the Ludlow store during opening hours, although Angela is asking people not to leave donations on the street and to phone ahead before travelling, because space for isolating donated stock at the store for the required 72 hours is limited.
“We are asking our supporters to only bring us items that they themselves would like to buy. In these challenging times it will cost us money to have unsaleable items taken away so we are really keen to receive only good quality saleable clothes, accessories, homeware and bric-a-brac,” she explained.
“We also cannot take donations of stock at our hospice building in Oswestry – to safeguard our children and families and would ask supporters to please not leave them outside the hospice doors.”
More details about what stock donations will be welcomed can be found at: https://www.hopehouse.org.uk/donate-goods and people wishing to donate to the Ludlow store can call 01584 879 007.
