Category: Charity Shops
Success for St Barnabas Hospice! Newly refurbished charity shop launches in Boston
St Barnabas Hospice are excited to share the success of the launch of their newly refurbished charity shop in Boston last Friday.
After a wonderful 8 years at the charity’s shop previous location in Boston’s Market Place, the Hospice are thrilled to have moved to a new premises in the market town.
The Hospice’s new shop, located at 19a Wide Bargate, has been undergoing renovations and is now open to shoppers and donors, whilst the team are also actively recruiting for volunteers.
The new charity shop in Boston had a brilliantly successful weekend of trading with sales generating a total of £2,700, across Friday 19th and Saturday 20th January, with 454 items sold on launch day!
After the lease agreement at the previous premises came to a natural end, St Barnabas assessed their potential for retail growth in Boston, and an opportunity arose for the charity shop to move location.
The new shop interior, including equipment, has been renovated using a majority of reused and recycled materials. Whilst this also supports the sustainability of charity shopping, this method of renovating has helped to keep the Hospice’s costs down, meaning more of the funds raise can directly support care in the local community.
Chris Wheway, CEO of St Barnabas Hospice says: “It was a pleasure to welcome new and returning customers to the opening of our brand-new charity shop located in the heart of Boston.
“Thank you so much to our retail staff, members of our clinical and income generation teams, and volunteers who have worked so hard to make today’s launch such a success.
“If you missed our launch weekend, please take the time to visit us at our new shop on Wide Bargate in Boston. We are open Monday to Saturday 9 am to 5 pm”.
The shop stocks a range of donated items including everything from vintage, retro, designer and high street clothing, books and unique homeware, all available across a variety of budgets.
The Hospice are so grateful to everyone who has supported the charity by shopping and donating items to the charity shop in Boston’s Market Place. The hope of St Barnabas is that the individuals who visited the charity shop in the Market Place will continue to support the Hospice by visiting their new premises.
Caroline Peach, Head of Retail at St Barnabas Hospice, says: “We are thrilled to have opened our new charity shop in Boston. All items sold and revenue generated will go directly towards supporting the provision of vital Hospice care in your local community.
“The Hospice are continuing to recruit volunteers from the Boston area. If you are interested, please visit our website or call into your local St Barnabas charity shop and speak to a member of the team”.
To find out more about volunteering for St Barnabas Hospice, visit: https://stbarnabashospice.co.uk/get-involved/volunteer/
We’re Moving! St Barnabas Hospice relocate to newly refurbished charity shop In Boston
St Barnabas Hospice are excited to announce their relocation to a newly refurbished charity shop in Boston, which opens to the public this Friday 19th January.
After a wonderful 8 years at the charity’s shop previous location in Boston’s Market Place, the Hospice are thrilled to have moved to a new premises in the market town.
The Hospice’s new shop, located at 19a Wide Bargate, has been undergoing renovations and will be opening to shoppers and donors, whilst the team are also actively recruiting for volunteers.
After the lease agreement at the previous premises came to a natural end, St Barnabas assessed their potential for retail growth in Boston, and an opportunity arose for the charity shop to move location.
The new shop interior, including equipment, has been renovated using a majority of reused and recycled materials. Whilst this also supports the sustainability of charity shopping, this method of renovating has helped to keep the Hospice’s costs down, meaning more of the funds raise can directly support care in the local community.
Caroline Peach, Head of Retail at St Barnabas Hospice says: “We are so excited to welcome new and regular shoppers to our newly refurbished charity shop in the historic market town of Boston.
“Boasting twice the amount of square footage as our previous store, located all on one floor, and providing improved access for shoppers and donators, both on foot and using public transport, we hope to be able to receive more donations, welcome more shoppers and have more items for sale.
“With this in mind, the hope is that the move to a 2,000 square foot mini-superstore will help us to raise more vital funds for hospice care in the local community”.
The shop stocks a range of donated items including everything from vintage, retro, designer and high street clothing, books and unique homeware, all available across a variety of budgets.
The Hospice are so grateful to everyone who has supported the charity by shopping and donating items to the charity shop in Boston’s Market Place. The hope of St Barnabas is that the individuals who visited the charity shop in the Market Place will continue to support the Hospice by visiting their new premises.
Caroline says: “We are thrilled to be opening our new charity shop in Boston this Friday. All items sold and revenue generated will go directly towards supporting the provision of vital Hospice care in your local community.
“The store is planning to welcome lots of shoppers over the weekend, so please come and visit us! We are open Monday to Saturday from 9 am to 5 pm.
“We are also continuing to recruit volunteers from the Boston area. If you are interested, please visit our website or call into your local St Barnabas charity shop and speak to a member of the team.”
To find out more about volunteering for St Barnabas Hospice, visit: https://stbarnabashospice.co.uk/get-involved/volunteer/
Sustainable shoppers raise over £6,500 for Hospice care in Lincolnshire
On Wednesday 1st November, a sold-out Lock-in event took place at St Barnabas Hospice’s flagship charity shop The Warehouse in Lincoln, where secondhand shoppers were invited to start their early Christmas shopping and get their hands on some brilliant bargains.
During the Warehouse’s second public Lock-in since opening in February 2022, shoppers were able to browse exclusively new-with-tags stock and take an early first look at Christmas items, including everything from vintage, retro, designer and high street clothing, books, unique homeware, and furniture.
Over 1,200 items were sold in just three hours, raising over £6,500 to support St Barnabas’ mission to bring high quality, compassionate and dignified end-of-life care to people in Lincolnshire.
Whilst browsing thousands of kindly donated items, attendees were able to enjoy gin and rum from the local creators of Pin Gin, made in partnership with St Barnabas for the Hospice’s 40th anniversary. They could also take home a loaded brownie from local dessert specialists, Sinple Treats.
The Warehouse shop manager, Emma-Jayne Parker says: “The Lock-in event was a resounding success! It’s great to see so many local individuals and bloggers who have a passion for sustainable shopping come together to support hospice care in the local community.
“We have 24 shops across the county. Please visit your local St Barnabas charity shop this Christmas, where you can give sustainable shopping a try, find some second-hand bargains and purchase some of our Christmas cards.”
Caroline Peach, Head of Retail at St Barnabas Hospice, comments: “With the current cost-of-living crisis, individuals are looking for ways to streamline their spending now more than ever. With the festive season approaching, by shopping in our charity shops you can save money, find unique gifts, prevent landfill waste and support local hospice care all at once.
“We are so pleased to have hosted such a wonderful event for the second year in a row. The feedback has been incredible, and we raised over £6,500. This is largely thanks to the quality of our donations, which we are very grateful for. From everyone at St Barnabas, we would like to say a huge thanks to everyone who came along.”
You can find your local St Barnabas shop here: www.stbarnabashospice.co.uk/shop. Alongside our 24 county-wide charity shops, you can also purchase merchandise via the St Barnabas online shop.
Caroline adds: “We are always looking for more shop volunteers to join our teams. No matter your experience or how much time you can spare, we would love to hear from you!
“As well as making a difference to hospice care in Lincolnshire, volunteering enables you to gain valuable skills, meet new people and have the first look at all our brilliant donations.”
“If you’re interested in volunteering, visit your local St Barnabas charity shop to find out some more information or take a look online.”
To find out more about volunteering for St Barnabas Hospice, visit: https://stbarnabashospice.co.uk/get-involved/volunteer/
On the move! St Barnabas Hospice announce exciting shop relocation to new premises in Boston
After a wonderful 8 years at St Barnabas Hospice’s charity shop location in Boston’s Market Place, the Hospice are thrilled to announce an exciting move to a new premises in the market town.
Still open and continuing to welcome shoppers throughout the festive season, the current charity shop at 48 Market Place is due to close just before Christmas.
The Hospice’s new shop located on 19a Wide Bargate, is currently undergoing renovations and is due to open to shoppers, donators, and volunteers in the new year.
The Hospice are so grateful to everyone who has supported the charity by shopping and donating items to the charity shop in Boston’s Market Place.
The community in Boston has provided the shop with wonderful support over the years and the team of staff and volunteers have been brilliant ambassadors of the Hospice and a pleasure to have as part of the team.
Caroline Peach, Head of Retail at St Barnabas Hospice said, “Our lease agreement at the Market Place charity shop premises is coming to a natural end. Whilst we assessed our potential for retail growth in Boston, an opportunity arose to move location.
“Boasting twice the amount of square footage, located all on one floor, and providing improved access for shoppers and donators, both on foot and using public transport, we hope to be able to receive more donations, welcome more shoppers and have more items for sale.
“With this in mind, the hope is that the move to a 2,000 square foot mini-superstore will help us to raise more vital funds for hospice care in the local community.
“We are already looking to welcome new volunteers from the Boston area. Please visit our website to find out more and get in touch: https://stbarnabashospice.co.uk/get-involved/volunteer/”.
The Hospice are committed to continue caring for people living with life-limiting and terminal illnesses in the Boston area. This care is delivered by the dedicated Clinical nurses from the South-East Community Services team.
With an ageing and growing population, end-of-life and palliative care is needed now more than ever. The hope of St Barnabas is that the individuals who visited the charity shop in the Market Place will continue to support the Hospice by visiting their new premises once opened.
St Barnabas Hospice charity shop in Mablethorpe announces permanent closure
After a great deal of consideration, St Barnabas Hospice have taken the difficult decision to permanently close one of their two charity shops in Mablethorpe, on 43 Victoria Road.
This shop has been serving the local community for 29 years, and the Hospice are so grateful to everyone who has supported the charity by shopping here and donating items during this time.
St Barnabas have conducted an in-depth review and sadly it will not be cost effective to keep the store open any longer.
Caroline Peach, Head of Retail at St Barnabas Hospice said, “Unfortunately despite our best efforts, the shop has had a low turnover for some time. With the current cost-of-living crisis and a lack of stock as influential factors, we have come to the decision that running two shops in Mablethorpe, is no longer a viable business decision.
“The community in Mablethorpe has provided this shop with wonderful support over the years and our team of staff and volunteers have been brilliant ambassadors of the Hospice and a pleasure to have as part of the team. For a large part of its trading, the shop was run solely by volunteers, and we want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has given their time.”
The Hospice are committed to continue caring for people living with life-limiting and terminal illnesses in the Mablethorpe area. This care is delivered by the dedicated Clinical nurses from the North-East Community Services team.
Alongside this, St Barnabas continues to maintain a retail presence in the town with their charity shop location at 3 Victoria Road remaining open and continuing to welcome shoppers and donations.
With an ageing and growing population, end-of-life and palliative care is needed now more than ever. The hope of St Barnabas is that those who would normally support this charity shop in Mablethorpe will be able to visit the hospice’s other shop in the town at 3 Victoria Road, or find alternative ways to support the Hospice, during these challenging economic times.
Other local St Barnabas charity shops close to Mablethorpe include Louth, Skegness or Spilsby. To find your closest charity shop location, please visit stbarnabashospice.co.uk/shop/
St Barnabas invites sustainable shoppers to new with tags lock-in at The Warehouse
St Barnabas Hospice’s flagship store The Warehouse in Lincoln will be opening its doors for an exclusive evening of pre-loved shopping on Wednesday 1st November from 6:30pm.
For the second year in a row, the public are invited to a lock-in at The Warehouse, where they can shop for pre-loved bargains whilst making a difference to their local hospice.
This year, the hospice invite shoppers to a lock-in with a difference, as all donated items available for purchase on the evening are new with tags! This includes everything from vintage, retro, designer and high street clothing, books, unique homeware, and furniture.
Alongside this, the second-hand shoppers will have an early first look at The Warehouse’s Christmas stock of the season.
Whether you are looking for the perfect Christmas party dress, some unique bric-a-brac or just love sustainable shopping, there is something for everyone at this event.
Attendees will be able to enjoy drinks made with St Barnabas gin and spiced rum, created in partnership with local distillery Pin Gin for the Hospice’s 40th anniversary and feast on sweet treats from local dessert specialists, Sinple Treats.
The evening is set to be a brilliant one, in which shoppers can celebrate with fellow charity shop lovers and St Barnabas staff and volunteers.
The Warehouse shop manager, Emma-Jayne Parker says: “We are so excited to announce that St Barnabas are hosting another lock-in event at our flagship store, The Warehouse in Lincoln.
“We can’t wait to welcome local, sustainable shoppers to our new with tags lock-in, where they can browse for bargains whilst raising money for vital hospice care in the local community.
“Whether you are looking for affordable Christmas gifts well in time for the big day or additions to your wardrobe for the festive season, this is a great opportunity!”
When purchasing their tickets, shoppers can choose between two, one-hour time slots in which to attend the lock-in. These include 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm or 7:30 pm to 8:30 pm.
Limited tickets are available for this exclusive event on Wednesday 1st November at £7.50 each. They can be purchased via the St Barnabas Hospice website here: https://stbarnabashospice.co.uk/events/lock-in-2023/
St Barnabas Hospice has 25 shops across Lincolnshire. You can find your local St Barnabas shop here: www.stbarnabashospice.co.uk/shop
For every £1 we raise, 74p goes towards delivering and improving the care we provide. The other 26p goes towards generating future income.
Kuku Connect networking at The Warehouse
On Tuesday 11th April, the East Midlands business community came together for a networking event with a twist at The Warehouse charity shop by St Barnabas.
The monthly KuKu Connect network gathers business professionals from Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire and beyond, and April’s event saw over 60 people gather at The Warehouse in Lincoln.
With over 5,000 square feet of shopping space and thousands of items to browse and purchase to support the hospice charity further, The Warehouse was an unusual location for the KuKu Connect Reception which normally takes place in more traditional networking venues.
Upon invitation, KuKu Connect members were asked to bring along some donations for The Warehouse, with some great items being donated; from clothes, shoes and accessories to books, homeware and more.
Guests received a complimentary glass of the Ruby Gin or Ruby Rum, both created by Pin Gin in celebration of St Barnabas’ 40th anniversary.
A non-alcoholic option was available in the form of the Ruby Coffee by The Lincoln Tea & Coffee Company. All these delicious drinks can be purchased in St Barnabas’ online shop with the profits donated to the charity: https://stbarnabashospice.co.uk/shop/onlineshop/
Stephen Goddard and Philip Brooks-Stephenson, founders of KuKu Connect say: “Our members had a brilliant time at The Warehouse tonight, many also had a good look around and with so much on offer, there really is something for everyone!
“We are pleased to offer St Barnabas a complimentary one-year membership as the only Lincolnshire-based charity in the group. We look forward to working together and I’m sure they can count on the ongoing support of the many businesses within our organisation.”
St Barnabas provides free, compassionate, and dignified care to adults living with a life-limiting or terminal illness, as well as much needed support for families and carers. The Hospice supports over 12,000 people each year, providing their many care and support services in hospice buildings and Wellbeing Centres, as well as in people’s homes across Lincolnshire.
Caroline Swindin, Fundraising Development Manager, comments: “It’s been a pleasure to host such a well-known networking event that spans several counties and reaches so many communities.
“We’ve had great conversations with guests about the care we deliver across the county, and we hope they have gained information that may help them, a family member or friend who could benefit from our services.
“A huge thank you to Stephen and Philip for choosing us. I’d love to see tonight’s guests again to discuss how they can support us further over a coffee and a chat so please do get in touch with me. We look forward to the next KuKu Connect Reception, where we’ll of course be in attendance!”
To find out more information about St Barnabas, its services and how to support the cause, please visit: https://stbarnabashospice.co.uk/
All photography by David Harrison
The Warehouse awarded Age-friendly Business Award
On 23rd March 2023 the St Barnabas charity shop The Warehouse in Lincoln was awarded the coveted Age-friendly Business Award from YMCA Lincolnshire.
That means that our shop provides a welcoming environment with great service for people over 50 – something we’re very passionate about.
When The Warehouse opened in February 2022, it was important to the St Barnabas team that the shop was fully accessible.
This includes disabled parking, ramps at the entrance, plenty of space for good mobility inside the shop and a friendly approach to those who have further accessibility needs.
Grace Tompkins, Community Development Officer at YMCA Lincolnshire, said: “The Warehouse has a fantastic variety of goods, stock and choice for people of all ages. The welcome and friendliness to customers as they enter the shop ensures that they have been noticed and can feel happy to browse.
“From my visit I can say that, it is with great pleasure, that I have no hesitation in recommending The Warehouse for the Age-friendly Business Award.”
The Warehouse is the latest St Barnabas charity shop to receive the Age-friendly Business Award.
Other shops that have been awarded this accolade are Birchwood in Lincoln, Boston, Bourne, Brant Road in Lincoln, Burton Road in Lincoln, both Louth shops, both Mablethorpe shops, Nettleham Fields, Ruskington, Skegness Lumley Road, Sleaford and Wragby Road in Lincoln.
Thank you to Grace and the YMCA Lincolnshire team!
Join Birchwood shop’s 10th birthday celebrations
The St Barnabas charity shop on Birchwood Centre is celebrating its 10th anniversary in April, and to celebrate Sharon, Chanelle and the team are organising a brilliant two-day party.
From 7pm – 9pm on Wednesday 26th April, the general public, staff and volunteers are welcome to come along to the shop for an exclusive out-of-hours Designer Sale with 💛 event. There will be bubbly and nibbles to make the evening more special.
On offer will be hundreds of Designer pieces for sensational prices, including Tommy Hilfiger, Chanel, Ted Baker, Paul Smith, Guess, Ralph Lauren and many more. There will also be brand new clothing, shoes, accessories and more with the tags still on.
Once the stock is gone, it’s truly gone, so don’t miss your chance to snap up a huge bargain! The Birchwood team would love to see you there and celebrate their 10th birthday together.
The next day on Thursday 27th April, the shop will open at its usual time of 9am – 5pm in party mode. There will be cake, soft drinks, and goodie bags for children. Any stock that hasn’t been snapped up the night before will remain on sale for the whole day.
The shop on Birchwood is known for its huge successes over the years, with various products sold in 2022, the Birchwood shop has generated £313,000 through donated sales this year.
Sharon, Chanelle and all staff and volunteers are much-loved by their many regulars, who come in to find gems and support the charity.
We can’t wait to see what the future holds for Birchwood, here’s to another 10 fantastic years!
The Warehouse celebrates a hugely successful first year
St Barnabas Hospice’s flagship charity shop The Warehouse in uphill Lincoln is celebrating its first year in business on 10th February, and what a year it’s been – over 120,000 items were sold, generating £410,000 in sales, which goes towards supporting hospice care.
With over 5,000 square feet of shopping space, The Warehouse is choc-a-bloc with great items at low prices, including clothing, homeware, furniture, vinyl records, books and much more.
You will also find a display unit highlighting items currently on auction on the St Barnabas eBay shop, as well as racks of pre-loved, branded vintage items on Depop.
Emma-Jayne Parker, manager at The Warehouse, says: “We have been blown away by the incredible support given to us since we first opened our doors. People of all ages and interests visit us and find great bargains, and it’s not just those who live locally, but also further away in Lincolnshire.
“We have many regulars coming to The Warehouse to browse our thousands of items, as the stock is constantly changing thanks to the high-quality donations we receive. If you would like to drop off donations, you can book a slot online via our Book & Bring system so we know when to expect your items.
“I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has made our first year such a success, including all donors, shoppers, staff, and of course our brilliant volunteers. We couldn’t run this shop without them, and they have given us over 4,000 hours of their time in the past 12 months.
“We are always looking for more volunteers who can help us sort through donations, put items on the shop floor or man the tills. It’s so much fun, we’ve got a great team here and each volunteer can choose in which area they would like to work.
“We’d love to hear from anyone over the age of 14 with a can-do attitude, who would like to gain new skills, meet new people, and support their local Hospice.”
If you are interested in volunteering, you can sign up via the St Barnabas website here: www.stbarnabashospice.co.uk/get-involved/volunteer
The Warehouse opened in February 2022, after months of renovations to the former donation sorting point for all of St Barnabas Hospice’s shops around the county. The charity’s ambitious plans to open its biggest shop have paid off, and it is designed with sustainability and accessibility in mind.
Caroline Peach, Head of Retail says: “Sustainability is key, sometimes we receive low quality items which we can’t sell but we don’t just dispose of them; these items get recycled. This year we’ve recycled over 38,000 kilos of unsellable stock, saving huge amounts of items from going to landfill and supporting the circular economy.
“It is very important to us that our shops are accessible for everyone, and we made sure that The Warehouse has extra wide walkways, ramp access, and smooth flooring across the store for the best shopping experience.
“We’re also very proud of the success of Gift Aid, a government initiative where for every £1 we generate in sales in our shops, we can claim an extra 25p from HMRC at no extra cost to the customer. Through this scheme, this year we’ve raised an extra £14,000 for Hospice care from The Warehouse alone. When people drop off donations, they can let us know they would like to participate, we just need a quick minute to set this up and it really helps your donations go even further.
“We are so very grateful to everyone who has supported us in this past year, and we can’t wait to see what this upcoming year will bring for The Warehouse. Make sure to come by soon and see the shop for yourself!”
You can find out more about The Warehouse, including the Book & Bring donation system and volunteering opportunities, by visiting: www.stbarnabashospice.co.uk/shop/warehouse