Hospice at Home West Cumbria has announced that their charity shop in Whitehaven will not reopen following the latest coronavirus lockdown.

The charity told staff and volunteers of the changes this week, and shared the plans to secure the future of its retail operations.

Hayley McKay, head of marketing and income generation said: “It is with great sadness that our Whitehaven store has had to close permanently. We would like to thank all of our staff and volunteers who have worked tirelessly in the shop over the last nine years. "Without them, we wouldn’t have been able to open. Generating income from charity shops is increasingly difficult and has been compounded by the coronavirus pandemic. We are however looking at the opportunities that are being presented to us via online sales and plan to increase the amount we sell online and broaden our online sales platforms. At present we have an eBay shop that does extremely well and we are exploring how we can develop this.”

The charity’s shop in Workington will remain open, and their Cockermouth shop has had a revamp, and with the support of local volunteers, is now selling niche items like sought after vinyl records, books, dvd’s and handmade crafts.

Hayley added: “People in Whitehaven can still support us and donate their pre-loved items for sale. Our donation centre will remain open and our van volunteers will continue to collect donations from people’s homes that we can sell in our other stores or online. All these wonderful donations help us raise the money we need.”

Chief executive of the charity, Julie Monk said: “It is important that as a charity we focus on generating as much income as we possibly can, to enable our home nursing, lymphoedema and family and bereavement support team, to continue to deliver our vital services to patients and families across west Cumbria. The future plans for our retail operations will support this.”

The charity is looking for more volunteers to help in their other stores and with their online sales. To express an interest and to find out more email: info@hhwc.org.uk.

More information about Hospice at Home West Cumbria can be found on their website at www.hospiceathomewestcumbria.org.uk.