BRIDPORT: Charity shops in in the town are facing a volunteer crisis with two shops already shut and others down to as low as one volunteer.

The Feral Cat Care Sanctuary in Barrack Street closed last month after failing to find enough volunteers and now the Ferne Animal Sanctuary’s shop has notices in the window saying it is temporarily closed because of staffing problems.

William Whitechurch, general retail manager at Ferne Animal Sanctuary said: “Due to a lack of resource, the Bridport branch has temporarily closed.

“The good news is that we are interviewing for a new manager and hope that the branch will be open at the end of September.

“We do wish to thank everyone for their valuable and continued support. We would appreciate it if members of the public could possibly hold over any donations until we are open again. We do urgently need more volunteers so please can they call me on 01460 65214.”

The YMCA in West Street is down to one volunteer and many of the town’s 11 charity shops have recruitment posters in their windows.

Some are doing better than others – the Cancer Research shop has around 50 to call on but manager Pat Blake says they could always do with more.

The Mencap shop in East Street has a loyal core of 14 or so helpers and manager Kelly Dittrich says they have enough for their needs and would be happy to send any new recruits to other shops.

Lynda Downton of Feral Cat Care in Barrack Street said she was sad to have to close the shop after 16 years but there was too much competition in the town.

She said: “For the past year or so the shop was literally only open for three or four days a week.

“Having advertised to no avail for new volunteers, we therefore could not continue to keep the shop open and running.”

The difficulty is one many face.

Here are their stories:

 

  • THE CANCER RESEARCH SHOP
    Manager Pat Blake said: “We are short at the moment because of holidays and sickness but I would say we are lucky with the amount of volunteers we have got as everybody is touched by cancer, I probably get more volunteers than some. We are also desperate for more volunteers.

“I have probably got about 50 – some of them will do two hours or two days and we have people with different skill sets but everybody has got something to offer.

“Youngsters are discovering the benefits of volunteering because it is good on your CV. Employers like to see something like that.

“And it is usually more enjoyable than they think and for someone who has recently retired it helps put a bit of structure in their week.

“Retired people have so much to offer – I have teachers, ex-RAF, lots of professionals or people who have just been housewives.

“I am really short of processors to prepare stock ready for the shop floor – that is our biggest problem.”

  • JULIA’S HOUSE
    Manager Helen Naylor said: “We are doing middling to fair. We could always have more people but we are not as desperate as some are. We do have to actively go out and find volunteers, it is a very competitive industry now.

“A lot is word of mouth, talking to people in the shop or people who have an affiliation with the charity.

“And because we are local as well we are a popular charity. We would love to have more younger people, definitely, it is very much a middle-aged upwards sphere of people that you get.

“We have about 20+ in our bank of volunteers but obviously some of those are seasonal people.”

  • RSPCA
    Manager Heather Puttock said: “It is dreadful at the moment. If for no other reason than I have two off recuperating from big operations and if someone is volunteering and they are on benefits.

“They can’t be here all the time and there are holidays.

“We just rely on people coming in and offering their services.

“I have about eight or nine volunteers – which isn’t really enough, but what can you do, it is spread a bit thin with all the other charity shops.

“But is has always been difficult.”

  • SUE RYDER
    Assistant manager Jacqueline Brown said: “We are struggling here. I have been here four years and we have always struggled but when we get people they are brilliant people and they stay but we don’t often get new ones.

“At the moment we have half a dozen. The trouble is we are competing against so many other charity shops.”

She said the local charities like Julia’s House and Weldmar, understandably did well.

She said: “I totally get that and people have their favourites. We do get told we are one of the best charity shops in town and that’s really nice.

“Volunteers are priceless and I like to think ours know how much we value them.

“Time is the most precious thing people can give.

“We always get a supply of tea and biscuits for our volunteers.”

  • OXFAM
    Assistant manager Katie Barnes said: “We have been struggling recently, especially at the moment.

“It is always a problem but we are lucky to have quite a few dedicated volunteers that have been here for quite a while.

“It depends on the time of year but we have between 20 and 25. Some of them are quite specialist – we have a few people that come in and do our music for us, that’s their hobby so they would rather do that than be on the till.

“We have two guys who come in just to do our classical vinyl, to sort through it and price it.”

  • YMCA
    Manager Jenny Stewart said: “We can’t run the shop without them.

“At the moment we are advertising for volunteers because we desperately want them.

“We are really short-staffed so that is why we have a special window – we literally only have two volunteers now and one of them is off sick, so we are not doing very well.

“It is a fairly new thing that we have been struggling but with our advertising window we are really hoping to get some people in because it is quite a pressure on the one person who is in and on the managers.”

  • WELDMAR South Street
    Manager Sue Cleal said: “It is hard to recruit volunteers. I have only been here since March and I’ve had two people enquire but they didn’t come back.

“I find it hard, our other shop in East Street doesn’t find it so bad. We are quite a small shop and some find it hard.

“The volunteers we get, a lot is word of mouth and people who have had dealings with the hospice.

“We try to encourage people who come in. “We have about seven volunteers at the moment who come in when they want to come in.”

  • WELDMAR East Street
    Manager Jane Eades there were a lot of charity shops in the town but that was better than empty premises.

She said: “From our regard we have a very strong volunteer base.

“The volunteers we’ve had have been here since February last year and a few new people have started and they seem to be keen to because they have had relatives or friends that have been in the hospice or used the hospice’s services or day care.

“I think because we are local and popular that is the over-riding drive and people can see where their money is going.

“We have a lot of local support.

“I have had conversations with customers and a lot of their criticisms of a lot of charities is you don’t see where the money is going and where the administation costs are and we try and keep them to a minimum by having volunteers.

“I have about 15 core volunteers, but that fluctuates depending on holiday season and that’s just about enough.

“We try and have two in the morning and two in the afternoon – that is our ideal balance but we are always looking for more because we are a big busy shop and there is always something for people to do.”

  • MENCAP
    Manager Kelly Dittrich said: “We are doing fairly well for volunteers.

“Some we have had a long time but we have managed to recruit about six in the last year.

“There are about 14 of us altogether but the more you have on stand-by the easier for the manager and deputy.

“I have only been here for a couple of years but I think if you keep the volunteers happy you shouldn’t really have any problems.”