Arthur Rank Hospice will soon be opening its fourth charity shop, this time in Cottenham. The Hospice has high hopes that the village location will prove as much of a success as its Great Shelford store, which has made wonderful progress both in terms of community support and income for the Charity in the last eight months.
The store is set to open towards the end of April in what was the old Post Office at 230 High Street, Cottenham, CB24 8RZ. Eileen Hughes, Retail Manager at Arthur Rank Hospice Charity explains: “Our retail offering is an important and growing part of our fundraising activity. Last year was an exciting one for us with the Great Shelford shop opening up just miles from our new state-of-the-art home. It has made a real impact - joining our established Mill Road and Regent Street retail offerings - and outstripping all our expectations in terms of income, donations and voluntary support. We hope those who live in Cottenham and the surrounding area are as excited about this new store as we are: we can’t wait for it to become a real hub of the community.”
As part of their planning for the move, the Hospice is aiming to recruit at least fifty new volunteers to support the day to day running of the shop. To contribute in this way, volunteers need only offer 3-4 hours of their time once per week or fortnight, although those wishing to offer more than this are welcome to do so.
Lynn Best started volunteering at the Great Shelford shop in August 2016 and says she thoroughly looks forward to her two mornings a week: “I love it and have made some fantastic friends. Lovely people visit our shop: many come in three to four times a week - they become more than just customers and join in our conversations. My hours are filled with sorting and pricing items, creating window and shop displays and working at the till. Some volunteers prefer to be behind the scenes only, so whatever suits you is okay. We have such fun!”
Lynn talks more about her experience in the Arthur Rank Hospice shop alongside fellow volunteers Joan (pictured) and Jennifer, in a video which can be viewed via the Arthur Rank Hospice Charity You Tube channel.
To find out more about volunteering in the new shop please call Vipra for an informal chat on 01223 675872, email volunteer@arhc.org.uk or visit arhc.org.uk/volunteeringintheshop. Other volunteering roles are also available at the new Hospice – for information please contact Vipra as above or visit arhc.org.uk/volunteering
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