Happy days in a hospice retail shop

“This is just the best job I’ve ever had”

There’s a firm knock on the back door of the Hospice’s Frodsham Street charity shop. Manager Jo Young welcomes the volunteer driver who is delivering another van load of donations from our fantastic hospice supporters.

The deliveries just keep coming!

Carrier bags of every size and colour are brought in, most filled to the brim with pre-loved – and new – clothes, accessories and household goods of every description.

The bags are taken upstairs where colleague Kelly Dodd is busy unpacking and sorting the content of an earlier delivery.

“This is just the best job I’ve ever had,” she says. “I was a manager at Debenhams years ago and that was great but nothing like this! It’s like a constant stream of treasure trove coming through the door.

“Taking the wrapping off is really exciting – you never quite know what you’re going to find. Sometimes I don’t even know what an item is for!”

Kelly continued: “My mind just drifts. I find myself thinking about the history of the things I’m unwrapping and the amazing clothes I pull out of bags: who the people were that gave us the goods, what kind of homes they’ve come from and why they’ve been donated.

“I’m always in awe that people make the effort to donate to the hospice. They’ve made a conscious effort and often gone out of their way to help other people through their own generosity and I think that’s really humbling. We should be so grateful to every one of them,” Kelly added.

Frodsham Street is one of the newest of the hospice shops, opening its doors in October 2023. Both Jo and Kelly have been there since day one.

“We have wonderful relationships with our donors and customers.” Jo commented. “They are so thoughtful and generous. We get to be part of some amazing stories: it can be really emotional at times.

“Some people come in every day to browse. Many stop for a chat. Others come in with chocolate and biscuits just to say ‘thank you’, tell us what a great job we’re doing and how grateful they are for the care that we gave their loved one, often years ago.

“We have one lady who regularly crochets items and donates them to us to sell. When we created a window display for Remembrance Sunday, she really got involved and made the poppies. People buy us hot drinks from time to time too. That’s just their way of supporting us.”

Jo continue: “Some come in to give their unwanted goods and others drop by with a donation. It seems to be that once people have a direct connection with the hospice they tend to keep coming back to support us by donating or buying. They show profound gratitude and incredible loyalty.

“Charlie is just ten years old. He comes in at least once a week with his dad. We really got to know them and became so fond of them that we bought Charlie a Christmas gift.

“There are real moments of joy when people find things they really want or have been looking for for a long time.

“One lady was over the moon when she found a lid for a glass jar to replace one she’d broken ages go. Another found a coaster to replace one from a set of six that had been lost. These are just moments of magic and we get to share them. It’s brilliant!

“It’s also wonderful to see how happy people are when they find an item of clothing that really appeals to them. We often get some really quirky coats and other clothes and you can see people just fall in love with them there and then. What a joy that is,” she added.

Jo appealed for more people to take their pre-loved clothing, unwanted gifts, books and decorative items to the Frodsham Street shop.

“We realise that it’s not the easiest or most convenient place to bring goods but if people could bring us their items when they know they’re coming into town, we’d be so incredibly grateful.”

Find your nearest hospice charity shop at hospicegs.com/shops

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