St Giles Hospice calls on shoppers to return after months of disruption cost charity nearly £20,000

The St Giles Hospice shop in Tamworth is calling on shoppers and donors to return this weekend as St Editha's Square celebrates its grand reopening following months of redevelopment works.

The extended disruption has had a significant financial impact on the charity, with the shop experiencing a loss of nearly £20,000 compared to the previous year's trading period. This loss is equivalent to the cost of almost a month's worth of end of life care for a patient at the hospice.

The charity shop, which has been a fixture in the square for 12 years, experienced seven months of construction disruption that began in mid-November 2024. Originally scheduled to complete by the end of March 2025, the works ran for an additional two-and-a-half months, finally finishing in mid-June. Early signs are already encouraging, with the store taking almost £4,000 in sales since the square's reopening on Friday, June 13 - a 33% increase on the previous week.

Robert Evans, Head of Retail at St Giles Hospice, said: "The extended works have been incredibly challenging for our Tamworth shop. That £20,000 loss represents vital funding that directly supports our end of life care services. To put this in perspective, our 23 shops achieved a net profit of £556,773 last year (April 2023-March 2024), showing just how crucial this income stream is for the hospice."

Robert added: "We are absolutely delighted that the square redevelopment is now complete and we can welcome our loyal customers back. The new square looks fantastic, and we're excited that shoppers will return to discover both the improved surroundings and the wonderful bargains we have in store."

The disruption came at a particularly difficult time for St Giles Hospice, which last year announced it was facing a £1.5 million funding deficit amid a national hospice funding crisis. The charity was forced to cut 22 jobs and reduce its inpatient capacity from 23 to 15 beds.

David Pedon, Shop Manager at St Giles Hospice's Tamworth store, added: "Throughout this challenging period, we've remained open and trading, but the noise and disruption inevitably deterred many of our regular customers. We're incredibly grateful to those who continued to support us during this difficult time. Now that the works are complete, we're calling on the Tamworth community to come back and support us. We'd love to welcome both shoppers looking for great bargains and people to kindly donate their pre-loved items."

The Tamworth Borough Council's redevelopment of St Editha's Square included removing steps, replacing trees, and repaving the area as part of a wider town centre regeneration project.

St Giles Hospice operates 23 shops across Staffordshire and the surrounding areas, with income from these retail outlets playing a critical role in funding the vital end of life care services the charity provides.

"Every purchase and every donation makes a real difference to the patients and loved ones we support," said Robert. "We're grateful that this difficult period is behind us, and we look forward to welcoming back our wonderful community and continuing to serve Tamworth whilst raising vital funds for our hospice services."

The hospice encourages local residents to visit the shop to see both the newly renovated square and the range of quality donated goods available.

For more information about St Giles Hospice and their shops, please visit www.stgileshospice.com/shops