The Rowans Hospice is opening its twentieth charity shop at Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth on Wednesday 22nd January, in the Hospice’s 20th Anniversary year. The Rowans Hospice Trading Company was formed prior to the opening of The Rowans Hospice to support fund-raising for a local hospice. It has grown from just one shop in Fratton Road to 20 shops located throughout the Hospice’s area of care, with a further two more planned to open in 2014.
The shop in Gunwharf Quays will be a unique boutique, specialising in vintage and upcycled clothing and goods and it is the only charity shop located at the shopping centre. This has been made possible through a ‘Charity of the Year’ partnership with Land Securities who manage the site.
Sean Sweeney MBE, Centre Manager at Gunwharf Quays, comments: “We’re delighted to welcome The Rowans Hospice store to Gunwharf Quays. As our charity partner we want to support the vital work of the hospice in any way we can. This is an exciting new concept charity shop that will give people the chance to pick up unique vintage and upcycled items while raising funds for the local service provided by The Rowans Hospice.â€
Anne Yendell, Director of Finance & Operations at The Rowans Hospice, said: “We are very excited to be opening our twentieth shop at Gunwharf Quays; this is an excellent location for us and will give The Rowans Hospice exposure to a wider audience. This shop will be a bit different from the usual charity shop found on the high street and I hope that people will enjoy shopping with us.â€
The charity receives approximately 17% of its funding from the Government; the remaining income has to be raised from people in the community, individuals, businesses and other organisations. All profits from The Rowans Hospice Trading Company are donated to the Hospice and go directly to funding services for people affected by life-shortening illnesses in Portsmouth and South East Hampshire.
More information about The Rowans Hospice Trading Company, the locations of the shops, how to make donations and volunteering is available on The Rowans Hospice website: www.rowanshospice.co.uk.