Staff and volunteers at the British Heart Foundation shop in Stowmarket have had double reason to celebrate as they not only recently reopened their doors after months of lockdown, but also received a cheque from the Rotary Club of Stowmarket Gipping Valley for an amazing £1,370.
The shop on the high street was one of 750 BHF shops across the UK which had to close in March as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Staff and volunteers at the Stowmarket shop are pleased to start raising funds for heart research once again, and were delighted to welcome Peter Andrews and Martin Hall from the Rotary club, who handed over the donation.
Pre-pandemic, the Rotary Club of Stowmarket Gipping Valley held a concert at the United Reformed Church, complete with Stellar Acappella from Ipswich and a local barber shop choir, with all proceeds going to the British Heart Foundation. The night was a big success, with the generous donation coming at a vital time for the charity.
The charity has estimated that the coronavirus crisis has cost it around £10 million a month, which it fears could impact its future funding for research across the UK. The charity is appealing to the public to support it by fundraising or donating to help support its work.
Assistant manager Philip Aldous said: “We have missed our customers so much over the last four months so being able to welcome them back has been wonderful. The fact that we have also been able to accept this generous donation of £1,370 makes it extra special. We want to sincerely thank everyone at the Rotary Club of Stowmarket Gipping Valley for backing the BHF and supporting us at such a critical time. We simply couldn’t operate without donations such as this.
“We welcome those in Stowmarket and the surrounding area to the shop to either donate their pre-loved items or to have a browse. Every item sold will help us continue our lifesaving research, which is needed now more than ever.”
The Stowmarket shop welcomes items such as clothing, handbags, shoes, books, bric-a-brac, cameras and jewellery. Every item sold will be turned into funds for research that could help transform the lives of those in Stowmarket living with heart and circulatory diseases.
This donation from the Rotary Club of Stowmarket Gipping Valley comes after they donated nearly £4,000 to the East Anglian Children’s Hospice.