Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity celebrates 30 years in retail

(Image supplied by the Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity)

The Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity (FNHC) is proudly celebrating 30 years in brick-and-mortar retail.

The milestone was hit on Saturday 28th October 2023 and throughout their shops across the region there was celebration, reflection and give-aways to commemorate the achievement.

FNHC opened its first charity shop in 1993 in Aylesbury and over the past 30 years it has grown to 13 shops thanks to the continued and unwavering support of the community.

Lily Caswell, Head of Retail for FNHC, said: ‘By shopping, donating, or volunteering, an incredible amount of people have helped us to grow our retail offer over the past three decades and raise vital funds to provide hospice care to those across Buckinghamshire and its borders.

With an increasing need for hospice services, we haven’t finished yet, and there are more communities that we are hoping to engage with. Our current target is to reach a portfolio of 20 shops, this would provide the perfect platform to support the Hospice the best we can.‘

The drive to reach this figure is clear, with three new shops opening in 2023 at Beaconsfield, Hazlemere and Princes Risborough. This is done by combining paid staff and volunteers in each shop and at the head office located in Aylesbury.

Vicky Harmon, Volunteering Engagement Manager at FNHC, said: ‘Volunteers are so crucial to us. Not just in retail but in all aspects of the Charity. However, where the community will mostly see them is at our shops, and it’s here where the majority of our volunteers take the time to help us, with 560 volunteers within our retail division.

All of the shop volunteers do such a great job for us. They are representatives of the charity, welcome all visitors and run each shop alongside the two paid members of staff. Collectively, they give us 1,569 hours a week of their time which equates to 81,588 hours per year.‘

Over the past thirty years in retail, the turnover of FNHC shops is estimated at £17 million with 100% of the profits going towards hospice care. In the last financial year, they sold 130,821 items of clothing and recycled 276 tonnes worth of items, saving it from landfill which is part of their ongoing sustainability ambitions.

To celebrate the anniversary, the Charity has been sharing retail updates and stories on social media which will eventually equal 30 posts, one for each year they have been in the retail business.

Further information about volunteering for the Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity can be found on the Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity website at https://fnhospice.org.uk/volunteer/.

*Source of information : Press release from Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity.