If you enjoy combing Ruddington’s charity shops for bargains, your prayers are answered – because the usual buzz has just returned to one of them. And the volunteers say it’s good to bee back. (That’s it. We’re done now! – Ed)
The Honeycomb is the first of the three fundraising shops in our village to re-open after an extended closure due to the Coronavirus, (which, of course, shut all our non-essential retailers for almost two months during the ‘lockdown’). The Church Street shop – which raises money for those who are in need, facing hardship or distress, regardless of faith – has announced limited opening hours to begin with. This is to ensure its volunteers and customers can be kept safe. It also has new ‘social distancing’ measures in place.
Manager Zoe Parton says: “We are open Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 10-2 and Wednesday 10-12.30 but closed Friday and Saturday. We have waiting outside the shop with tape marking the 2 metre distance. A board indicates where customers are to stand, and a sign in the window says either Enter or Wait so we can ensure only two customers are in the shop at a time. A choice of sanitiser or gloves is positioned at the door to apply before people start looking.”
Once inside, customers will find a new perspex screen all around the counter to keep staff safe: “Keeping 2 metres apart is encouraged by tape markings on the floor and on signs” explains Zoe. “The layout is also slightly different in the shop to help with flow and to help people ‘see’ others and keep a good distance. All staff are wearing visors and we encourage customers to use face masks. Door handles and other touched surfaces, including card machines are disinfected regularly during opening hours and at the end. The changing room is closed but customers can return items up to 30 days after purchase for a refund.”
Zoe adds: “We are receiving donations but, for the moment, we are just taking two bags/boxes per person to try and keep up with the processing with a limited workforce! Please press the doorbell outside the shop (No.5) and someone will come out to you. Items are then left for three days before they are processed for sale or passing on.”
The Nottinghamshire Hospice Shop would also have been open again by now had it not been for Ruddington’s High Street ‘flash flood’ on June 17th, just as a ‘lockdown’ refurbishment was almost complete. Water got in under the door and via drains at the back, causing damage to the shop, office and toilet areas. Further new flooring, new skirting boards and another complete redecoration costing around £3,000 were then required to fix it.
Clare Stevens from the charity tells us: “We don’t have an opening date yet, as there are still a few issues to be rectified. We are hoping it will be by the end of August/early September. It will be Colette and the team running the shop when it does reopen.” Similar COVID-secure measures to those outlined for The Honeycomb are to be put in place when it does reopen to customers.
The future for Ruddington’s third charity shop, run in aid of The Children’s Society at the corner of High Street and Easthorpe Street, is rather less certain at the moment. After closing during the COVID-19 ‘lockdown’ all has been quiet there since. It seems manager Stephanie Reed {pictured below}, who only took over here at Christmas, has been needed to help run some of the charity’s other outlets.
Regional retail manager, Antony Richards, has told RUDDINGTON.info “it could be several more months” before sufficient volunteers are found and COVID-safe measures are introduced to make reopening the Ruddington shop possible. So far, only around half of The Children’s Society one hundred UK retail outlets have been able to reopen – but that does include the nearby Compton Acres shop – which is opening its doors for customers and donations again on Tuesday August 18th.
When we get any further news, we’ll let you know!
