Staff and volunteers in our Haywards Heath shop threw a party last week to say a fond farewell to our store before it closes.
By Lawrence Smith of Mid Sussex Times
Full story here
The St Peter & St James Hospice shop in Sussex Road, Haywards Heath is shutting its doors on June 16 after 20 years and everything in the shop is being sold for £2 or less.
Manager Leanne Pearce, along with staff and volunteers will relocate to the hospice’s fashion shop at 82 South Road or the furniture shop at 136-138 South Road.
“It’s quite sad that this one is going,” said Leanne, adding that many of the shop’s volunteers had been there for a long time. “It’s been absolutely wonderful.”
Leanne said she had enjoyed hearing the heartfelt stories of customers who brought items in and that volunteers had always looked out for each other.
“The party was to say ‘thank you’ to the volunteers, past and present, for being so amazing because the hospice couldn’t run without them,” she said.
All the volunteers brought food to the party, said Leanne, and six at a time were allowed into the store to fill their plate so they could dine outside.
Leanne, who lives in Burgess Hill and used to be a volunteer at the Burgess Hill shop, has been the manager of the Sussex Road store for almost four years.
She said the party was a great way to kick off the Sussex Road shop’s closing down sale, where everything will be priced £2 or less.
“We have cupboards, we have a sofa, we have lots of men’s and ladies’ clothing, shoes, bags, bric-a-brac and linen items,” Leanne said.
“Everything is £2 or less, apart from fixtures and fittings, the volunteers and the management.”
Among the people Leanne thanked were: Phyllis Cowdrey, Sandy Falkner, Nell Austin, Fred Wood, Shirley Taylor, Teresa Fletcher, Sue Philpott, Jan Atkinson, Jo Baker and Lyn Chopping.
