The charity has 22 shops across Essex and during the first week of opening they took £60,000 – an increase of 50% on expected income.
On the first day of opening on Monday 12th April the shops raised £14,083 – 81% above what they would expect to raise in one day.
Havens Hospices says it has also been overwhelmed by the kindness of its supporters making donations following the reopening of its shops, patiently keeping their donations aside during lockdown.
Trevor Johnson, Director of Income Generation at Havens Hospices, said: “Once again we have been overwhelmed by the kindness of our supporters either purchasing items in one of our shops or donating goods to help us raise vital funds for our hospice care.
“It’s been a challenging year for charity shops, and we have had adapt our focus to trading online whilst the shops have been closed. Although our online sales have been successful it’s clear to see that people are still eager to come to our shops to purchase good-quality items to support their local hospice. The increase in our sale figures is just outstanding and we can’t thank our customers enough for their generosity.
“We were expecting a huge influx in donations after lockdown but I’m pleased to say we’re coping well with the numbers we’ve received, but we’re still urging customers who plan to donate a large amount of donations to call ahead so we can advise on the best time to bring these in.
“Our free hospice care to children, young people and adults can only exist because of the incredible support from our communities during these difficult times and we are truly thankful. Since the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic, the charity has experienced around a 41% decrease in fundraising income.
“For anyone who has not visited our shops yet we would like to reassure everyone that we have measures in place to help keep everyone safe including restricting the number of people allowed in the shops at any one time, only accepting card payments and increased cleaning procedures.”
Havens Hospices welcomes donations of the following clean and good-quality goods: clothing, toys, bric-a-brac, books, jewellery and DVDs/CDs.
Customers can support the charity from the comfort of their own home by shopping on its Shpock, eBay and Depop online shops. To find out more about Havens Hospices’ charity shops visit www.havenshospices.org.uk/charityshops
Published Tuesday 20th April 2021
