Theme: Volunteering

Following a huge increase in customer numbers after the easing of lockdown restrictions, we’re putting out an urgent appeal for volunteers to support staff in our online sales team and shops across Greater Manchester. 

St Ann’s is asking local people to consider donating just a few hours of their time each week to help shop staff raise vital funds to support local patients. 

Amanda Brooks, Head of the St Ann’s Trading Company, said: “It’s fantastic that customers are embracing their new freedoms by coming to purchase new and pre-loved goods at our covid-safe shops.   

“As a result of the fabulous increase in footfall, it’s vital we recruit more volunteers as soon as possible to support our team.  There’s such a wide range of volunteering roles available, and we’re hoping there’s something that will appeal to everyone.   

“We need help with everything from window displays and merchandising to serving customers, steaming clothes and organising books.  We’re also keen to hear from anyone who might be able to assist with weekend support in our new bridal boutique in Stockport. 

“Our online sales team and staff at our distribution centre in Reddish are also looking for support from people who could help with photography, posting and packing, and sorting goods for our shops too.” 

Our shops generate thousands of pounds worth of income every year for St Ann’s – income which enables our hospices to continue to provide care to local patients with cancer and other life- limiting illnesses. 

Amanda added: “The role of a charity shop volunteer has really changed in recent years, and we see people of all ages who come to us and really benefit from, and enjoy, the experience.    

“St Ann’s has to raise around £20,000 every day to keep the doors open, and we simply couldn’t do it without our army of loyal volunteers.  We have people who support us for a variety of reasons, some are job seekers looking to build their CV, others are retired people who are looking for a new challenge, and we also work with students who are helping broaden their skillset too.    

“We give full training and support, and we’d be keen to hear from anyone aged 16 and over who thinks they might be able to help out – even for a few hours a week.  Every small contribution makes a huge difference to our patients.”   

Anyone interested in supporting our hospice can call 0161 477 7839 from 10am to 2pm Monday to Friday, pop into their local hospice shop and ask for details or fill in a form online.  

Hello, my name is Amanda Brooks and I’m the Head of the Trading Company at St Ann’s. In my role, I am responsible for the overall management of the shops, including St Ann’s online shops as well as the distribution centres, collections, house clearance services and the lottery.

In the last few months, we’ve had to temporarily close our shops and stop our trading services, in line with government guidelines. It has been a difficult time as our shops generate a lot of income that helps to support the hospice and the hard work carried out by staff who offer care and support to patients and their loved ones.

As lockdown restrictions lift, we’re now able to open our doors once more and from Monday 15th June we’ll be re-opening a select number of shops, including our online stores on eBay and Amazon.

We’ve taken great consideration and followed government guidelines to ensure our volunteers and customers can shop and be served safely. To do this we have had to make some changes in the way our shops will operate.

For now, only the Edgeley, Stockport, Heald Green, Altrincham and Romiley shops will be open, from 11am – 4pm from Monday to Saturday, except for the Romiley shop which will be open Tuesday to Saturday. The reduced shopping times means our team of volunteers, who will be briefed before taking the role on, can do a deep clean of the shops before and after every day they are open. Like most shops, we will be limiting the number of people entering and putting in safety measures, including floor markers to maintain two-metre distancing.

We’ve also had to adapt our donation policy and will now only be taking donations on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. This way goods can be handled safely and isolated for 72 hours before they are placed within the shops. Sadly, customers won’t be able to try any items on, but we will be accepting returns, provided the item still has the labels attached and a receipt is presented.

Although our popular bridal shop in Cheadle will still remain closed, we are still accepting one hour or 1.5-hour appointments for the coming months, with a plan to re-open in August, provided the government says it is safe to do so. The number of bookings will be limited per day so our team can do a deep clean before and after each appointment. If you do want to book an appointment then email tradingadmin@sah.org.uk. We recommend doing this as soon as possible as our bridal shop is popular and bookings fill up quickly. 

Our collection and house clearance service will also be re-opening, however, we will need you to book an appointment to schedule these and we’ll be asking a number of questions before we can collect items or clear a property. To carry out a safe clearance we’re asking that you leave a key in a safe space and notify our drivers of the location of the key. We ask that you aren’t present during these times so that our drivers can safely enter the property and collect the items. Once clearance is complete the key will be returned to the safe location and you will be notified. For more information or to book an appointment please email tradingadmin@sah.org.uk. 

In the coming weeks, myself and my team will continue to review government guidelines to ensure our shops are safe for our volunteers and customers.

More than ever we need your support and every item purchased from us allows us to provide care for loved ones in our local community.

For more information on donations, shopping and house clearances, please email tradingadmin@sah.org.uk. 

Can you help? 

We urgently need volunteers to help run St Ann’s Hospice shops. We’ll be following government guidelines and providing each volunteer with training to ensure every team member remains safe.

Each till will be shielded and floor markers will help maintain two-metre distancing and in the bigger shops, we will be putting in one-way systems.

Our shops generate a large amount of money and by sparing a few hours each week, you can help provide a service to the local community whilst also raising much-needed funds for St Ann’s.  

Volunteers do need to be over 16 and we ask that those who are interested to fill out an application beforehand. Click the link below if you’d like to volunteer for St Ann’s, you’ll also find more information on what your role will be and how you can help St Ann’s.