Morrisons to sow seeds of hope by giving away 25 million sunflowers to customers

A Stalwart volunteer is urging people to help Southport's Cancer Research UK shop get back to the business of beating cancer as restrictions on non-essential retail lift, from Monday, 12 April 2021. Grandmother and great grandmother Renee Smart, 85, has notched up more than 30 years' service volunteering at the Cancer Research UK shop on Lord Street in Southport.

Now the octogenarian is encouraging others to follow her lead and give up even just a few hours of their time each week to volunteer. And she is also appealing for Lockdown de-clutterers to dig out and drop off donations, at the store.

Staff and volunteers are rolling up their sleeves to try and claw back millions of pounds in lost sales. But they urgently need help to fill the shelves with new or pre-loved bargains, fashion 1 offs and homeware treasures once more to help fund research that could save lives. Every bag of donated items could raise up to ₤25 or ₤31 with Gift Aid if the donor is a UK taxpayer.

Cancer Research UK expects to see its fundraising income decline by a staggering ₤300 million over the next 3 years, due to the Coronavirus Pandemic. But with around 42,000 people diagnosed with cancer every year in the North West, the charity is determined to continue its mission.

Renee knows 1st hand just how important new breakthroughs and discoveries are to help more people survive. She decided to volunteer, at the Southport shop, over 30 years ago, after seeing an article in the newspaper saying the shop needed volunteers. Over the decades she has lost various family members to cancer, including her father, who passed away when she was in her 20's. Her daughter is also a retired Lab Technician, at the Christie Hospital, in Manchester, where she worked in the field of cancer research for many years. Renee said:- "I absolutely love volunteering for Cancer Research UK. It's a great way to meet new people and raise money for an important cause. The team in the shop are like family to me, and we have many friendly customers with lots of regulars. And of course I know how important research is after losing my own father to the disease."

Its customers are a critical part of helping to get research back on track, so strict measures are being followed at the shop on Lord Street store to ensure a safe shopping experience. These include social distancing, hand sanitiser stations, cough guards at till points and face coverings for shop staff and volunteers, as well as additional cleaning.

Now the shop's doors are open once again, shop manager Sarah Illingworth is hoping for a sunnier outlook and is specifically calling for donations of men, women and children's summer clothing ready for the Great British staycation. She said:- "Covid19 has hit us hard. Our shops typically contribute more than ₤25 million each year to vital research, so we're grateful to Renee for rallying the community to help us fight back. She gives so much time and energy to help us out and I hope her enthusiasm will inspire others to volunteer. We're also calling on everyone who's had a spring clean, wardrobe detox or cupboard clear out in Lockdown to please bag up and bring in any unwanted items. Right now, we need quality clothing and shoes, ideally for this season, as well as homeware, books and accessories to help keep our tills; and bargain hunters; busy. Most important of all, the sale of these items helps to ensure we can keep making progress for people with cancer."

Cancer Research UK's work has been at the heart of the progress that has seen survival in the UK double in the last 40 years.

Thanks to the generosity of its supporters, the charity currently funds around 50% of all publicly funded cancer research in the UK and is the only UK charity fighting more than 200 types of the disease. Sarah added:- "1 in 2 people will get cancer in their lifetime, which is why we're absolutely determined to continue to create better cancer treatments for tomorrow. Our research has played a role in developing 8 of the world's top 10 cancer drugs and we're working every day to find new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat the disease. But we can't do it alone. Every step our scientists take towards beating cancer relies on every pound raised. So, whether they shop, donate or volunteer their time; with the help of people in Southport we believe that together we will beat cancer."

Cancer Research UK was able to spend over ₤30 million in the North West last year on some of the UK's leading scientific and clinical research. Shop staff recommend phoning ahead before visiting, as safety measures may mean that storage space is limited. For more information on Cancer Research UK shops, opening hours or volunteering visit:- CRUK.Org/Shops.