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Bernadette
came to her local LIFE House desperate for help. Fleeing domestic violence,
pregnant with her third child, and with nowhere else to turn, she didn’t think
it would be possible to over-come longstanding issues and repair her
relationship with her family.
Her Support Plan worked on building confidence
and self-esteem and together with her Support Worker, Bernadette developed a
valuable network of friends and family to ensure she was happy and safe when she
was ready to leave our care.
*not real name
LIFE charity shops get boost from Thorntons mentor
Managers from LIFE's charity shops around the UK recently attended an inaugural one-day conference at LIFE's head office in Leamington Spa. "The purpose of the day was first, to say a big thank you for all the work the shop volunteers and staff do," says Susie Murray, LIFE's Head of Fundraising and Development. "We really couldn't do it without their dedication and determination.
Secondly, it's a great way to share ideas," continues Susie. "The Barnstaple shop which specialises in selling jewellery, for instance, will be running jewellery-making workshops where people can then buy what they've made. And Joyce Fannon from the Weymouth LIFE shop ran an analysis of takings and found that clothes accounted for 53% of sales - good to know when asking for donations and planning the shop layout. In fact, Margaret O'Brien from the Derby shop even kitted out a local bride from top-to-toe for her wedding!"
Ultimately, the aim of the conferences will be to implement organisation-wide procedures to ensure the smooth running of our shops. This way we can bring in more money for local and national projects. Shops can be an important asset to a charity, particularly in tough economic times. Many charities find that when income goes down, the income stream from their charity shops actually increases.
Abigail Bonsall, Regional Manager of retail giant Thorntons, has agreed to act as a mentor for our shop volunteers and staff. She has some invaluable insights into commercial success and how to apply them to the charity sector. Thorntons estimate that the window space of their 377 shops nationwide is worth around £7 million pounds of advertising. Tips like that could really help boost our profits - we all now know how crucial it is to get the window displays right!
For further information about the LIFE charity shops in Glasgow, Helensburgh, Dumbarton, Norwich, Merseyside, Weymouth, Walsall, Derby, Barnstaple, Manchester and the LIFE market stall in Gloucester, please email eireannjanssens@lifecharity.org.uk or call 01926 421587.