A lack of volunteers is forcing St Luke’s Hospice to close some of its shops on busy days.
And there are fears that there will be more closures among its nine stores in the future.
Shops in Crewe, Sandbach and Alsager have had to close on certain days, including Saturday, due to a lack of volunteers able to keep them open.
It has resulted in a loss of around £8,000 in takings each month which go towards funding the hospice.
The charity also has a busy shop on Pepper Street in Nantwich.
The hospice is now urgently appealing for people willing to give up a few hours a week to volunteer in their nine shops and Warehouse.
Steven Holmes, St Luke’s Retail Operations Manager, said: “Every hour spent assisting in our shops directly translates into comfort, support, and care provided to our Hospice patients and their families.
“Our shops play a vital role in generating funds to support and sustain our Hospice services.
“Sadly we are currently losing around £8,000 a month in potential sales due to us being forced to close some shops on certain days of the week.
“This is devastating as this amount is enough to fund the hospice for a whole day!
“This includes all our services from the Inpatient Unit to Day Hospice, family support and counselling.
“With an increasing demand for our services, we are in urgent need of additional retail volunteers who can help us make a difference and continue to be a vital part of the community.
“If you have some time to spare and would like to support the Hospice then please get in touch, we would be so very grateful.”
Norma Sproston has volunteered at the Winsford shop for nine years.
Norma said: “I have always volunteered for various charities, but after the incredible support from St Luke’s that both myself and my husband received following his diagnosis with prostate cancer, I just wanted to give
something back to St Luke’s.
“Everyone gets on so well here, and it’s a lovely place to come every week.”
St Luke’s is looking for volunteers to be able to commit to around four hours a week on a regular basis.
To find out more about how to become a Volunteer, please contact Adelle Gillet at [email protected] or call 01606 551246.
(Pic: St Luke’s In Patient Unit Nurses – Liz Freeman, Emma Jones and Leah McAteer)
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