Charity shops launch call for volunteers to fill gaps left by lockdown

THE Charity Retail Association (CRA) estimates that charity shop volunteer numbers are at least 20% down on 2019 levels and is launching a campaign to match volunteers with charity shops and highlight the benefits of volunteering in charity retail. Charity shops have experienced a surge in donations and rising sales since re-opening, but many shops are struggling to recruit enough new volunteers to fill gaps left by volunteers who have not returned following the lockdown, and to keep pace with growing interest in buying second hand.  The CRA is asking anyone interested in volunteering in a charity shop to sign up at:- CharityShopVolunteer.Org.UK. The platform has been built free of charge by tech company Wil-U, who are on a mission to provide innovative technology that revolutionises how communities connect with charities, and you can be matched to a shop in your locality and in your area of interest.

Robin Osterley, Chief Executive of the CRA said:- "The public has been fantastic in supporting charity shops recover from the lockdown with shoppers and donors returning in large numbers. Charity retail staff and volunteers have worked with great energy, enthusiasm, and creativity to ensure that charity shops have bounced back strongly from the enforced closure during the lockdown. Consequently, many charity shops are now outperforming the level of sales achieved pre-covid, which is an incredible achievement given the many challenges presented by the Pandemic. Based on feedback from our members, we estimate that charity shops are operating with at least 20% fewer volunteers than before the Pandemic. This is potentially causing an issue in their ability to respond to the great demand for their services. With the growing public interest in reuse, now is a great time to volunteer in a charity shop and to be part of a great team raising money for charities, helping the environment by promoting reuse and bringing a real buzz and sense of community back to our high streets. Whether you have previously volunteered in a shop or not, you can sign up to be matched to a charity shop in need of volunteers at:- CharityShopVolunteer.Org.UK, or pop into a local shop and speak to the team there."

A new hair salon in Southport is offering to help give people a great new look, and to lose their lockdown hair!

THE MiSalon has opened at 31 Everton Road, on the corner with Vaughan Road, in Birkdale. Since opening her unisex salon, owner Angie Ingham has styled a number of male and female customers who have come in with all manner of temporary hairstyles which they have gained during the past few months of the Covid19 Pandemic. Angie, who works alongside fellow stylist Alex Graves, guarantees a friendly welcome and a chat with customers to find out exactly what they want. She said:- "If anyone has 'lockdown hair' then please don't be embarrassed. We have ALL been in the same boat! Let us help you to figure out what your new style may be. For any ladies who have grown out their old colour or have applied box colour which hasn't worked well, we are happy to give a free full colour consultation to establish exactly what the client needs and if it's achievable. We had a couple of ladies who came in recently who have not felt confident to come into a hair salon since before lockdown. They said they had felt embarrassed about coming in and had been chopping at their own hair. We really want people to come in and have a chat with us about what they want and to feel comfortable. We are stylists and we do listen. We are not scissor happy! Some people's hair has changed quite a lot during lockdown. Some people's hair has gone really long, while others have cut their own really short to make it more manageable. Customers have been coming in and looking for a change of style. We do really listen to what people want. And because we have loads of free parking outside, MiSalon is really accessible for customers. We are also doing an opening offer of 10% off all services at the moment. If anyone wants to come in and get rid of their lockdown hair, we are here!"