Pilgrims shop goes the whole nine yards for a sale
Pilgrims Hospices shop in New Romney will be holding a Yard Sale on Saturday 20 August between 10am and 3pm.
The busy High Street shop will be open as usual, selling a range of clothing, bric-a-brac, books, toys, jewellery and more. At the rear of the shop, the courtyard will be open for customers to browse and purchase items that are not always readily available in store.
The Yard Sale will include everything from power tools, hand tools, both preloved and vintage, to screws and nails, tool boxes, and ratchets, gardening equipment, comprising of lawn mowers, strimmers, plant pots, along with fishing gear and everything in between. There will also be plenty of crafting materials, puzzles, a tombola and a secret gift bag tub. Everything at affordable prices, and generating much-needed funds for local hospice care.
Julia Nailor, Pilgrims Hospices Shop Manager said: “We ran a very successful ‘Yard Sale’ last year, and customers have asked us to run the event again. The sale was one of our most successful days ever, with sales of more than £2,500 for the charity, we just didn’t stop all day! We hope our shoppers and supporters will help us do as well again this year.”
The charity shop is run by a band of volunteers; Julia calls them her Pilgrims family.
She added: “I appreciate each and every one of them, all with their different skill sets and qualities, this is a brilliant little gem of a shop and we are kept busy by our loyal local shoppers and often get a visit from holidaymakers and some even return to donate products to our shop.”
“One ofthe most unusual donations was a bright yellow cement mixer; it was snapped up quickly for a princely sum of £80 by a very happy purchaser.”
New Romney shop volunteers: Jacqui Mears, Catherine Henwood, Fiona Bennett, Maureen Hicks and Mary Hyde
Julia’s band of volunteers are busy bringing the Yard Sale to life; they’ve been collecting and preparing products for the event over the past few months, so there will be plenty to discover.
Volunteer Jacqui Mears has been a team member for 12 years, originally sharing her time at Lydd and now at the New Romney shop on the High Street.
She told us: “I only called in for a book.”
She now volunteers her time to help three days each week to support the charity.
Maureen Hicks who has also volunteered for 12 years said:
“After retirement, I soon became bored. I knew someone who volunteered at the Pilgrims shop and I decided to offer my time too. My thoughts are that you never know when you might need Pilgrims’ support, so I’m very happy to be a Tuesday girl and part of Julia’s team of volunteers.”
Volunteer Mary Hyde is the shop’s crafting expert, with an eye for craft materials and a champion knitter. Mary spends her spare time, when not volunteering at the shop, creating novelty knits as gifts and ensuring the shop dollies are fully dressed and ready for sale.
She told us: “I’m looking forward to the Yard Sale, I’ve been picking out patterns, needles, fabrics and card-making materials from people’s kind donations, ready for our big event. There will be many items to choose from, and we even have a sewing machine and a dye cutting machine for sale too. I will be happy to share my knowledge and give advice to new crafters if I can on the day.”
This is a very special role, and we all enjoy our little Pilgrims community, thanking those kind people who make donations and those who purchase; everyone is helping to make a difference to those in the community who need Pilgrims’ care.
Julia Nailor, New Romney Shop Manager
While the ladies were busy processing donations and sorting into relevant categories for pressing, sizing and ready for sale, they said that their oldest volunteer colleague was Vera who is 90+ years old, and helps on a Wednesday morning. Vera joined the Pilgrims volunteer team when the shop opened in 1994, and still enjoys meeting people and supporting the charity even if it is for less hours now. They all agreed as older ladies, it’s great to dedicate some time as a volunteer, they all made great friendships, and it helps to keep them all well and active.
Although, having some strong gentlemen volunteers would really help with some of the lifting and carrying.
Julia added: ”We do our best to have a diverse selection of clothing, bric-a-brac, jewellery, and toys and lots more. Especially during the school holidays, we have visits from lots of grandparents with their grandchildren selecting children’s books, games and puzzles to keep them amused.”
Julia was a volunteer prior to being offered the role of shop manager, more than six years ago. She said: “I came in shopping with my daughter one day, and someone said ‘we could do with your help’. Before I knew it, I was shown around the shop and came back as a regular volunteer shortly after that!
“As time went on, I was offered the opportunity to take up a paid role as a member of staff. I absolutely love my job but couldn’t do it without the support of my amazing volunteers.
“I don’t have a retail background, in fact I’ve done a number of different jobs over the years including office work and working with adults with learning disabilities before having a family, and then managing a pub with my brother. However, you do need bags of energy, an eye for detail, and a keen sense of what customers are looking for when shopping with us.
“This is a very special role, and we all enjoy our little Pilgrims community, thanking those kind people who make donations and those who purchase; everyone is helping to make a difference to those in the community who need Pilgrims’ care.”
The Yard Sale takes place on Saturday 20 August, 10:00-15:00 at our New Romney shop: 39 High Street, New Romney TN28 8BW
Pilgrims Hospices cares for thousands of local people each year, free of charge, during the most challenging time in their lives. They offer care and support in people’s own homes, in the community and in their inpatient units as well as running a 24-hour advice line.
3rd August 2022
Store50 brings second-hand, chic and eco-friendly fashion to Canterbury
Store50 is Pilgrims Hospices’ newest shop, located at 50 St. Peter’s Street, Canterbury, in the heart of the city on its bustling high street.
By nature, charity shops are known for stocking preloved goods; Store50 is taking that a step further, aiming to make second-hand fashion affordable, chic and eco-friendly at the same time.
Opening on 4 August 2022, it will stock a diverse range of clothing for all, with a focus on “slow fashion” – an approach to producing clothing that advocates respect for people and the environment, often through reducing, reusing and recycling, rather than buying new items.
The shop will particularly appeal to Canterbury’s thriving student population, who will find trendy threads to suit their wardrobes and their budgets.
Store50 also features a dedicated denim section upstairs, a chill out area and vinyl record room downstairs, and a community board where people can leave messages about local news, events and business.
Mandy Hawkett, Pilgrims Retail Area Manager shared: “We’ve been really keen to get this initiative off the ground for some time now, and have been searching for a suitable shop. We are delighted to have secured Store50. The team has pulled together fresh ideas with innovative and creative planning to give the shop something extraordinary for shoppers to enjoy. It looks like high end fashion with all the qualities of sustainability and so much more. We are also offering students a 10% discount, so it really is worth paying us a visit.”
Amy Eldridge, Shop Manager, said: “We’re so excited to be launching this brand new charity shop for the quirky and diverse Canterbury community. We hope that by encouraging shoppers to thrift and be mindful about their purchases, we can help to build a more sustainable retail economy that benefits people and our planet. By shopping with us, you will help to stop items going to landfill, save precious pennies, and also contribute to Pilgrims’ vital services across east Kent – supporting our charity to provide compassionate care to patients and families where and when they need it the most.”
Emily Bartlett and Demi Hale, Supervisors, added: “It’s a re-envisioning of a charity shop, set apart from the mainstream and what people are used to. We hope it will be popular across different age groups, not just students – it’s perfect for the everyday shopper, too!”
Store50 is open 10:00-18:00 Monday-Saturday and 10:00-16:00 on Sundays.
Pilgrims Hospices cares for thousands of local people each year, free of charge, during the most challenging time in their lives. They offer care and support in people’s own homes, in the community and in their inpatient units as well as running a 24-hour advice line.
26th February 2020
Jane’s passion for painting with textiles
Jane Dickins’s passion for art and fabrics has led her to volunteer for Pilgrims Hospices in the High Street shop in Deal. She is an avid up-cycler and loves to create works of art with interesting fabrics. One of Pilgrims volunteers spotted Jane’s keen eye for detail and creative flair on a visit to source fabrics in the Deal shop. She was asked to consider joining the Monday afternoon volunteer team and has been a regular volunteer ever since.
Jane told us: “I’ve always loved visiting Pilgrims shops when searching for fabrics and creative ideas.
“I often check out the rag collections and find some brilliant materials to work with. That’s the great thing about my work creating with fabrics; garments don’t need to be perfect, I deconstruct them for my designs; giving them a new lease of life as part of my texture and colour fabric pictures and designs.
I’ve always loved visiting Pilgrims shops when searching for fabrics and creative ideas.
Jane Dickins
“It’s great to know nothing is ever wasted from the donations given; the team of volunteers ensure all garments are of good quality before reaching the shelves for customers to purchase. Anything unsuitable is bagged for rags and sold to be made into cleaning materials and similar products.
“For a donation, I select suitable fabrics and colours for my designs, it’s an Aladdin’s cave of wools, cottons, leathers, I think of it as painting with textiles.”
Jane’s artwork
Jane who is originally from Australia enjoyed a career in archaeology specialising in Aboriginal art. She studied at Cambridge and lived in London before falling in love with Deal in Kent where she’s now settled with her husband. Jane uses many of these influences in her fabric designs and pictures, which she works on from her studio in Deal.
Recently Jane exhibited some of her amazing artwork at the contemporary art gallery, Linden Hall Studio in Deal with great success.
She added: “I’m so pleased I’m able to combine my work as an artist with volunteering; I love my regular Monday afternoon slot at the Pilgrims shop, we are a great team and it’s rewarding to know my time supporting in the shop is really helping to make a difference to end of life care in the local community.”
If you would like to find out about volunteer opportunities with Pilgrims Hospices, please click here.
Each year Pilgrims Hospices give care and comfort to over 2,400 people in east Kent who are coming to terms with an illness that sadly cannot be cured. The charity support patients to live life as well as possible until the very end, free from pain and distress.
25th May 2018
Pilgrims retail team celebrate award winning success
Pilgrims Hospices retail team were delighted to receive the hospice ‘Retail team of the Year’ award this month. The award was presented at the annual Hospice UK Conference in Warwick; the award celebrates the innovative work of charity retail stores and the people who work within them.
As a national charity Hospice UK support over 200 hospices who collectively provide vital care for 200,000 people across the UK who need end of life care or have life limiting illnesses every year. Pilgrims Hospices in east Kent care for over 2,800 patients, their families and friends from three hospice sites in Ashford, Canterbury and Thanet, within the community and in people’s homes.
Tim Stewart, Retail Manager for Pilgrims Hospices accepted the award on behalf of his team within the Pilgrims shops and eBay site. Tim said: “The national award is open to all hospice retailers across the UK, Pilgrims are very proud to have been cited as the best.”
Pilgrims received the award for making significant increases in sales over the past 12 months making considerable reductions in costs.
“Pilgrims has improved recruitment and retention of volunteers during this year, we are very pleased to have such a wonderful team working throughout our 32 stores in east Kent.” Tim explained.
Pilgrims are very proud to have been cited as the best Tim Stewart
The team has encouraged donations and continue to engage with corporate partners by running corporate staff donation days, hospice staff donation days and use social media and the newly branded livery on the vans to increase awareness of the variety of Pilgrims Hospices services available to those who need care the most.
Tim explained: “Pilgrims Hospices renamed our house clearance service to ‘Caring Collections’, offering a personalised and compassionate service to all our donors and in particular our bereaved donors. We have also remodelled some of our shops; this has demonstrated, to our customers, that we respect their donations and this has encouraged further donations.”
As part of Pilgrims environmental awareness policy over 600 tons of unsaleable stock has been prevented from going into landfill by working with: textile, bric-a-brac and book recycling companies and other charities (Sense, The Dogs Trust, Tools for Self-Reliance).
The charity also recognises the importance of their drivers; they’re often the first point of contact after people have experienced a loss. The service they receive from Pilgrims drivers can leave a lasting impression on individuals; about the hospices and as a result the drivers have compassion training, in order that they are comfortable having conversations with people who are bereaved.
As part of our Corporate Social Responsibly code, Pilgrims part of the Recycle Your Cycle scheme which refurbishes bikes in prisons across the country, providing the shops with good quality bikes to sell and prisoners with transferable skills.
The charity also collaborates with Working with Community Repaint, by stocking repackaged paint from excess and end of line stock, from Dulux and Crown Paints, enabling us to sell high quality paints at affordable prices
Most importantly, this award is recognition of the continued support and hard work of our dedicated and loyal volunteers.
You can click hereto find out more about Pilgrims Hospices shops and where to find them visit.
Each year Pilgrims Hospices give care and comfort to over 2,300 people in East Kent coming to terms with an illness that sadly cannot be cured. The charity support patients to live life as well as possible until the very end, free from pain and distress.
