Mayor opens new British Heart Foundation charity shop in Sleaford

The Mayor of Sleaford, Coun Grenville Jackson, was joined by staff, volunteers and the local Sleaford community this morning (Thursday April 11) to celebrate the opening of the new British Heart Foundation charity shop on Southgate.
Mayor of Sleaford Coun Grenville Jackson cuts the ribbon to open the new British Heart Foundation shop in Sleaford. From left - (front) Maria Quirke (Store Manager), Christopher Stocks (volunteer) Coun Grenville Jackson (Mayor of Sleaford), Amelia Dobson (Assistant Manager at Sleaford) and Niki Elliott (Area Manager). EMN-191104-151628001Mayor of Sleaford Coun Grenville Jackson cuts the ribbon to open the new British Heart Foundation shop in Sleaford. From left - (front) Maria Quirke (Store Manager), Christopher Stocks (volunteer) Coun Grenville Jackson (Mayor of Sleaford), Amelia Dobson (Assistant Manager at Sleaford) and Niki Elliott (Area Manager). EMN-191104-151628001
Mayor of Sleaford Coun Grenville Jackson cuts the ribbon to open the new British Heart Foundation shop in Sleaford. From left - (front) Maria Quirke (Store Manager), Christopher Stocks (volunteer) Coun Grenville Jackson (Mayor of Sleaford), Amelia Dobson (Assistant Manager at Sleaford) and Niki Elliott (Area Manager). EMN-191104-151628001

The shop, formerly occupied by Thorntons until about 14 months ago, will help the BHF fund innovative life-saving research into heart and circulatory diseases.

The Mayor welcomed shoppers and staff with a cutting of the ribbon and shop staff were thrilled to see so many customers from the surrounding area keen to check out the new stock and support their new local shop by bagging some bargains.

The shop stocks a range of good quality and affordable second-hand items such as clothing, shoes, bags, toys, belts, as well as books, music and films.

Mayor of Sleaford meets staff at the opening of the new British Heart Foundation shop in Sleaford. From left - Amelia Dobson (Assistant Manager at Sleaford), Maria Quirke (Store Manager at Sleaford), Coun Grenville Jackson (Mayor of Sleaford), Nicola Boone (Area Manager) and Hayley Fallon (Sales Assistant at Sleaford). EMN-191104-151618001Mayor of Sleaford meets staff at the opening of the new British Heart Foundation shop in Sleaford. From left - Amelia Dobson (Assistant Manager at Sleaford), Maria Quirke (Store Manager at Sleaford), Coun Grenville Jackson (Mayor of Sleaford), Nicola Boone (Area Manager) and Hayley Fallon (Sales Assistant at Sleaford). EMN-191104-151618001
Mayor of Sleaford meets staff at the opening of the new British Heart Foundation shop in Sleaford. From left - Amelia Dobson (Assistant Manager at Sleaford), Maria Quirke (Store Manager at Sleaford), Coun Grenville Jackson (Mayor of Sleaford), Nicola Boone (Area Manager) and Hayley Fallon (Sales Assistant at Sleaford). EMN-191104-151618001

Coun Jackson said: “It’s an absolute pleasure to officially open this British Heart Foundation shop and meet the great staff and volunteers. I would encourage locals to support BHF by donating their good quality unwanted items to help this fantastic charity.”

Nicola Boone, Area Manager at the BHF commented: “The opening of the new Sleaford shop went extremely well. Each item sold will help the BHF fund life-saving heart research, so if you have not yet visited then please do come by to see what great bargains are on offer.

“We still urgently need more donations so if you are having a clear out in the next few weeks, we would love to receive any unwanted clothing and accessories. Donating couldn’t be easier with our free collections service and it’s a great way to cut down on waste.

“If you would rather give the gift of time, we are always in need of volunteers who can spare a couple of hours a week, so please get in touch if you are interested.”

The shop has so far recruited and trained up 20 volunteers plus three paid staff - a manager - Maria Quirke, an assistant manager and a part-time assistant.

Nicola said they have had masses of support from locals offering to donate stock and she said they have sensed a great community feeling about the town and added that they always welcomed more volunteers.

Work started behind the scenes on preparing and fitting out the property at the beginning of March.

The Sleaford shop team would like to encourage people if they are in the area to pop in for a browse and learn more about donating unwanted items.

To book a free collection, call 0808 250 0024 or visit www.bhf.org.uk/collection