28 July 2003

Volunteers and staff at St Giles Hospice's charity shops are celebrating another record-breaking year's fundraising.

Thanks to the support of local people, the group - which comprises twelve high street shops, two warehouses, and a small shop for patients and visitors at the hospice - raised £586,000 over the last twelve months.

It's the eighteenth consecutive year the group has recorded a record profit, and this year's figure is a significant improvement on the previous year's total of £546,000.

Lynwen Truesdale, General Manager of St Giles Hospice Shops, said: "This is an outstanding result. We are extremely grateful to all our supporters, whether they donated items to sell or bought goods - as well as to all our hard-working volunteers and staff.

"The financial demands on St Giles are ever-increasing and the shops network plays a vital role in the fundraising process.

"We will be working harder than ever to try and exceed this year's total in the coming twelve months - and we hope that we'll be able to continue to count on local people for their support."

The twelve high street shops are located as follows:

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.

All proceeds go to support the work of St Giles Hospice, a registered charity offering high-quality medical and nursing care for people with cancer and other serious illnesses, as well as providing support for their families and helpers.

Patients come from across the hospice's 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.

Care is offered either at the hospice, or in patients' own homes across the region, where community nurses have made 5,000 visits over the past twelve months.

The range of high-quality, specialist services are expensive to provide, and the hospice relies heavily on donations and fundraising.