5:20pm Monday 8th March 2010
DETERMINED staff at a charity shop which raises vital funds for cancer are calling for extra donations after a recent flood caused over £5,000 in damage.
Cancer Research UK, based on Witton Street, Northwich, was flooded at the end of January. The extensive damage to much of the donated stock and shop fittings was caused by a flood in the flat above the premises.
A number of the shop’s 15 regular volunteers worked hard to complete the clean-up in a week, and the store is now back open for business.
Nicola Haupt, shop manager, said: “It happened at the weekend and we walked in on Monday morning to a swimming pool.
“We had to put our wellies on and wade through the water. It was really out of our control.”
Speaking of the damage caused, Nicola added: “We had no children’s department for a long time and a lot of the men’s clothing was damaged, in addition to shop fittings which hold the bric-a-brac.
“The majority has been repaired, but we are still waiting for shelves. We’re nearly back to normal, but we would like to increase our stock levels to raise money for scientific research into cancer.”
As an added incentive to donate to the shop and support the work of the charity, a Mother’s Day draw will be held on Saturday, March 13.
Nicola said: “Anyone who brings in donated stock can enter their own name, or nominate someone else’s name for the prize draw, where they have the chance of winning a surprise gift.”
The shop’s appeal for donations of clothing, books or bric-a-brac, also runs alongside a new ‘Donate Don’t Waste’ campaign for the charity.
Nicola said the project will make people more aware that charity shops can use every item of unwanted clothing, preventing such items from being sent to landfill.
She added: “We can even use socks with holes in to make money!”
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