British Heart Foundation charity shops to re-open in Peterborough

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) will reopen nearly 400 of its shops this week after announcing a phased reopening to ensure it could create a safe working environment for its staff and 17,000 volunteers, many of whom are living with heart and circulatory diseases.

A total of 395 shops will open this week, with a further 299 planned the following week.

A statement on the Peterborough Rivergate store’s website said the store will be taking a range of precautions to protect customers and added: “Once we’re back up and running, we’ll be selling a wide variety of quality pre-loved furniture and home appliances from sofas, tables, beds and wardrobes to TVs, washing machines, fridges and dishwashers.

“All our stock will be rested for 72 hours and sanitised by our dedicated team, before heading out onto the sales floor at great prices.”

The charity’s shop in Bridge Street is also due to re-open today.

Mike Taylor, the foundation’s Commercial Director said: “Our charity shops run purely on the support of the public, which is why we treasure every person who shops with us or supports us.

“Every item we sell helps fund our vital research.

“We have been truly humbled by the response from our colleagues, customers and supporters since opening a handful of shops at the beginning of the month.

“One store received more than 100 bags of donations before lunchtime on the day it opened, double the number we would normally expect in a day.

“We’re now ready to open our shops nationwide, with confidence that they’re safe and ready to raise vital funds for research into heart and circulatory diseases once more.

“The coronavirus crisis has had a devastating impact on our income meaning we are in urgent need of public support and donations to continue our research.”

The crisis has cost the charity around £10 million a month, which it warned could limit future funding for research.

The BHF now anticipates it may have to cut research spending by half this year.