25 August 2005

A Sutton Coldfield charity shop has celebrated ten years of loyal service to local shoppers with a brand new look.

The St Giles Hospice shop at 300 Lichfield Road, Mere Green, Sutton Coldfield, has been closed for six days for refurbishment, which includes a new layout, fixtures and fittings.

The store, which raises funds to support the charity’s care of local people living with cancer and other serious illnesses, officially reopened on Monday (22nd August) to coincide with its 10th anniversary.

Guests of honour at the double celebration included the shop’s dedicated volunteers, who cut a birthday cake which was then shared among fellow volunteers and staff.

Lynwen Truesdale, General Manager of St Giles Hospice Shops, said: "During its decade serving the local community, the Mere Green shop has proved extremely popular with both customers and people donating items to sell.

' We are grateful to every single one of them, as well as our staff and volunteers, for the support given both to the shop and to the nearby specialist bookshop.

' St Giles Hospice shops play a vital fundraising role for the charity - generating £543,000 last year - and with demands on our caring services continuing to increase every penny is desperately needed."

The Mere Green shop sells a wide range of high-quality second-hand items including products for the home, clothes, accessories and books, in addition to a selection of new goods, including greeting cards throughout the year, and the hospice’s range of Christmas cards from September onwards.

Donations of items that can be sold are always welcome, and further information is available by contacting the shop on 0121 323 4645.

The shop in Mere Green is one of five St Giles Hospice Shops in Sutton Coldfield. The others are located at 28 Boldmere Road in Boldmere, 406 Birmingham Road in Wylde Green, 39 Walmley Road in Walmley, and the specialist bookshop at 284a Lichfield Road in Mere Green.

The hospice, in partnership with Sutton Coldfield Municipal Charities, is to open a new care facility in the town in the near future.

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

The thirteen shops are based 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.

In addition, a clothing warehouse for donations and a furniture warehouse offering a wide range of high-quality furniture at value-for-money prices, are based in Shenstone, near Lichfield. A selection of furniture is also available at the Cannock and Wylde Green shops.

Donations of high-quality clothing and items for the home are always welcome at the shops and warehouses.

Every penny raised by the shops is desperately needed by St Giles. The charity spends over £5million caring for local people 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.