22 July 2005

The general downturn in sales on local high streets has extended to the charity sector, with St Giles Hospice Shops reporting a fall in profits for the last twelve months.

This week it was announced that the group – which raises funds to support the hospice's care of local people living with cancer and other serious illnesses - had raised £543,000 over the last twelve months, compared to £607,000 in the year to March 2004.

The increasing popularity of internet trading sites – leading to a decline in donations of quality bric-a-brac – the fall in shoppers on the high street, and the flooding of the British market with discount clothing, have all played a part in the drop.

The downturn is in sharp contrast to its previous remarkable success story which has seen the network of shops and warehouses enjoy record profits every year since the group’s formation in 1986.

And staff and volunteers are appealing for increased support from the public to help the shops continue to raise the maximum amount for the hospice’s care.

St Giles Hospice Shops General Manager Lynwen Truesdale said: "Our network of charity shops has grown to such an extent that we are now a
mainstream retailer – so when sales in the retail sector are in decline, so too are sales at our shops.

' However, the news does not diminish the fact that we want to say a big thank you to the general public for both supplying and buying items, as well as our team of dedicated volunteers and staff.

' While we are disappointed, raising over half a million pounds is a fantastic achievement, and we will be striving even harder in the next 12 months to turn the situation around."

But Lynwen explained that the charity shops will not succeed in securing a reversal of fortune without renewed efforts by the public.

'It's a fact that even now St Giles does not have enough money to care for everyone who needs our help.

'So we need as much support as possible and are urging everyone to donate unwanted high-quality items - in particular bric-a-brac - which we can sell, and to visit our shops where we are confident they will be able to pick up a bargain," added Lynwen.

The group currently comprises twelve high street shops, a specialist bookshop, two warehouses, and a small shop for patients and visitors at the hospice.

All proceeds go to support the care St Giles provides for local people living with cancer and other serious illnesses.

Items can be donated at any of the hospice shops across the region, the details of which can be found by clicking here.

The warehouses – one accepting donations of goods, and the other selling items of donated furniture – are located at the Birchbrook Industrial Park in Shenstone, and can be contacted by calling 01543 483268. A selection of furniture is also available at the Cannock and Wylde Green shops.

St Giles Hospice Shops play a vital role in funding the care offered by the hospice, a registered charity based near Lichfield.

The thirteen shops are located in major towns throughout the hospice's patient catchment area, which ranges from Ashby de la Zouch and Atherstone in the east, to Cannock and Walsall in the west – and from Burton and Uttoxeter in the north, to Sutton Coldfield and Coleshill in the south.

Every penny of the proceeds raised is desperately needed by St Giles. The charity spends over £5million caring for local people living with cancer and other serious illnesses, as well as providing support for their families and carers, and relies heavily on the support of local people to enable its valuable work to continue.