Recent Events
Terry Groves writes about Hospice Shops in January
Terry Groves
Chairman - Share the Care Ltd
“I am in my third year as Chairman of Share the Care and find that this is one of the most enjoyable and different business appointments that I have. Different because although it takes up a fair degree of time I provide this time as an unpaid volunteer and enjoyable because of the sheer variety of the retailing environment we operate in.
“Selling only goods that have been donated to you poses quite different challenges from the usual ones of picking goods you want to sell, ordering them into stock, pricing them with an eye to cost and margin and so forth. With donated goods we never know what we are going to receive, whether it is good clothes, fine suits, baby wear, paintings, toys, media, household goods – you name it we take what we are so generously given.
“And by we I mean the volunteers who run our shops and furniture outlets. Sometimes a delivery will come to a shop of some eighty bags of goods and items, plus what the local community may have left overnight or brought in that day! All is sorted, ranged, priced and made ready for sale with great cheerfulness and zeal, cheerful and keen because of what it is they are doing, raising much needed funds for Hospice Isle of Man and its patients.
“Each shop has approximately thirty plus volunteers whizzing in and out either to do a shift on the till, sort goods and price them or bring new goods out onto the shelves.
“Whenever I am visiting one of our shops I am always reminded of the music of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Everyone seems to be whistling while they work – and they work for no pay merely the pleasure of being able to make a meaningful difference to our community.
“Spend a day in one of our shops – there is a lesson there for all of us I think.”
That was a really big Christmas Present for
Hospice Care - £462,000!
Pictured receiving the cheque from
Shops Manager, Tina Lawton (centre),
is Terry Groves, Chairman of
Share the Care
and a
Hospice Governor.
Records have been broken again by Hospice Shops. Our 20th Birthday year, 2008 has proved to be a record year culminating with handing over the magnificent sum of £462,000 to Hospice Isle of Man towards patient care costs.
“This is the perfect way to end the year for Hospice from our point of view,” said Terry Groves, Share the Care Chairman and Hospice Governor. “To think that this all comes from donated goods (with the exception of Christmas cards) speaks volumes for the support of the Isle of Man for Hospice. This is a great deal of money and our hope is that we continue to be given unwanted clothes and other items next year for us to sell.”
For a larger photo and more text, follow this link
Hospice Christmas Fair
Hospice Care's 24th Annual Christmas Fair was held on Saturday and Sunday 22nd and 23rd November at the Villa Marina. Hospice Shops takings from the weekend were just over £4,000 - magnificent and well done everyone. A separate page contains a report and more photographs.
A Very Special 20th Birthday Visit
Sir Paul and Lady Haddacks
On Tuesday 8th Jul, our Onchan Shop welcomed two very special guests as we celebrated our 20th Birthday. Directors, Staff and Volunteers from our seven shops and showrooms met His Excellency Vice Admiral Sir Paul Haddacks KCB, and Lady Haddacks on their visit to mark the anniversary.
A separate page records their visit.
Hospice Shops 20th Birthday Party
On Sunday 17th August, Hospice Shops celebrated their 20th Birthday in style - twenty years since Share the Care Ltd., (STC) was set up and the first shop opened.
There are six website pages record a most memorable 20th Birthday Party for you to enjoy; the first two record the Party Events and the next four are devoted to photos of the Shop Volunteers' tables. Click here for page one.
Fancy Dress & Vintage Clothing Shop
Steve Colley
opened the Shop
The Fancy Dress & Vintage Clothing Shop - the seventh Hospice Shop - opened Thursday 19th June at 78 Bucks Road, next door to the Hospice Shop, 76 Bucks Road, Douglas.
What used to be known as our Prop Shop was located above the Saleroom in Allan Street and so popular it had to move to larger premises - much larger premises.
Read all about this on a separate page and now there is a selection of photographs illustrating the opening of the seventh Hospice Shop.
Visit the Fancy Dress & Vintage Clothing Shop Notice Board for up-to-date News.
HRH The Princess Anne opens our new Hospice
On Monday 7th July, Her Royal Highness, The Princess Anne, did us the honour of opening our new Hospice. There are four pages of photographs recording this special occasion