East Anglia's Children's Hospices has "tremendous" first day back for shops
Non-essential retail reopened across the country on 12 April
East Anglia's Children's Hospices' shops took in £32,500 when non-essential retail opened on Monday.
According to the charity, that's three times their usual daily intake, which was matched by donations with 3,100 boxes and bags handed in.
Sarah Throssell, EACH Acting Head of Retail, said:
"Our shops took three times more income and donations than average yesterday, suggesting shoppers are out across the whole of East Anglia.
"We knew there would be a deluge of donations and I’m pleased to say we’re coping with the numbers we’ve received at the moment, but we’re still urging customers who plan to bring along donations to call ahead. We are, once again, overwhelmed with people’s generosity. The only thing is we must make sure we keep our premises safe for staff and volunteers, so in some cases we may consider limiting daily donations.
"We’re obviously delighted to have received such great support on the first day back. We couldn’t provide the millions of pounds we ordinarily do to help the region’s most vulnerable children and their families without it. Our shops have been shut 33 weeks of the last year and every week has meant £100,000 of lost income.
"Despite these positive and exciting times, there’s still a lot to do as we expect high street retail to be depressed over the coming year and estimate a shortfall of £1.2 million in retail income against pre-COVID trading predictions.
"For anyone who hasn’t visited one of our shops since the pandemic started, you can be assured our shops continue restricting customer numbers and making sure the environments are as safe as possible, with staff and volunteers on hand to give you a friendly welcome."