Severn Hospice to reopen first shop following lockdown in 'big leap forward'
A beloved Shropshire charity will soon be able to begin making money to help people again, as one of its shops reopens next week.
The Severn Hospice had to close its 28 charity shops in March because of the coronavirus pandemic, and has been losing £100,000 a week since – a large proportion of the hospice's income normally comes from the sale of clothes, books, toys, furniture and more.
Now that social restrictions including enforced shop closures are being relaxed, the charity announced that its shop in Whitchurch will reopen on Monday, June 15.
Following the announcement by the government that non-essential shops can reopen, Severn Hospice’s retail team have been hard at work preparing the shop ready for its reopening and ensuring it remains Covid-19 secure.
Customer numbers will be restricted and markers will be displayed to remind people to keep a safe distance apart.
Donations will have been quarantined for 72 hours and all clothing will be steam-cleaned before it goes on sale.
Till screens have been installed at the counters to protect staff and customers, sanitiser will be available, and staff will be wearing visors.
Many of the protective items were donated to the charity by the Rotary Club of the Wrekin from its disaster fund.
Confident
Ross Henderson, the charity’s head of retail, said: “We have been waiting a long time to reopen our shops and to finally be able to open the one in Whitchurch is a big leap forward.
“We have taken every step to make sure that we are following government guidelines while still being able to offer our loyal supporters what they want.
“We can’t wait to open our other shops, but it really is a case of making sure we have got it right.
“We are confident that the measures we have taken within our shop will ensure that our customers and supporters can shop safely with us.”
The shop, which is on the town’s High Street, will be open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 3pm.
