Longfield Community Hospice has announced plans to close its Hucclecote charity shop in early March.

The shop, located on Hucclecote Road, has been part of the local community for eleven years. It will close for business at 5pm on Wednesday 9 March.

Previously a successful shop for Longfield, the decline in footfall in the area due to the closure of many other key businesses, especially amid Covid restrictions and lockdowns, has prompted this development.

The shop will stop accepting donated goods in early March and plans to hold a closing down sale in the two weeks leading up to its closure.

Ian Cherry, Director of Operations for Longfield Community Hospice confirmed:

“After careful consideration, and with the agreement of the Board of Trustees, we have made the difficult decision to close the Hucclecote shop. We know this will come as a huge disappointment to our loyal customers and the wonderful staff and volunteers.

Unfortunately, the closure of local businesses over the last few years has resulted in reduced footfall, making it impossible to carry on trading profitably at this site in the current climate.

Shop staff have been offered roles in other shops and volunteers have been encouraged to join nearby stores. We want to thank everyone who has supported the Hucclecote shop over the years. We know that customers will miss visiting the shop, but we hope they will understand our decision to close.”