Scope charity shop at St Swithin's Street may close

The Scope charity shop at 17 St Swithin's Street in Worcester may close at the start of June, staff and volunteers at the shop said, with one volunteer saying if it went ahead it would be 'the end of an era'.

Rented from a private landlord, the Worcester News understands the lease is up and the charity may not renew it although charity bosses said the consultation on what will happen is still running and does not close until later this month.

Debbie Boylen, head of retail at disability equality charity Scope, said: “At present, we have not reached a final decision about closing the shop.

“We’re still in the consultation period which will conclude on May 10. We will inform our colleagues and volunteers once we have confirmed the outcome.

“We know our team at Scope Worcester loves serving their community and we’d like to thank our generous customers for their fantastic support.”

A volunteer at the shop who did not want to be identified said: "It was a bit of a shock when we found out."

Scope is a disability equality charity in England and Wales which provides practical information and emotional support and campaigns to create a fairer society.

The shop sells clothes, books, CDs, DVDs and other bric-a-brac to raise funds for the charity.

Talking about if it were to close, one volunteer said: "It's the end of an era. They have been here so long. Some volunteers have been here 15 years. It's a great shame and a fantastic charity.

"It is more than just a clothes shop. It affects people's lives to a great extent."

He said around 30 volunteers were on the books of the charity shop, many of whom had a disability themselves.

"We have got a very loyal customer base. Customers don't know. It's all been kept hush hush. To be honest volunteers haven't officially been told. But we realised when leasing agents were coming, showing the shop to potential buyers," he said.