First charity shop re-opens in Milton Keynes - repurposed to sell FOOD

The shop will sell non-perishable store cupboard essentials that have been donated by Tesco and other businesses in MK.

It will provide a vital local community service to elderly, vulnerable and NHS customers, say hospice bosses.

Items on sale range from range from canned and dry foods to cleaning products, toilet paper, soap, UHT long-life milk, biscuits and drinks.

Mark Rawlins, Commercial Director at Willen Hospice said: “All the stock we’re selling has been generously donated by businesses in Milton Keynes.

I cannot thank Tesco enough for rallying around us to gift these enormous quantities of items for us to resell at the same price as in their stores.

"With all our shops currently shut and the staff furloughed, we are facing a significant loss in revenue. This is a perfect example of business supporting charity in a time of need. They’re helping us to support the vulnerable and give something back to our local community in the knowledge that all funds raised by this activity support the front line care at the Hospice.”

Customer access to the shop is being controlled and numbers limited. Hand sanitiser is available for customers’ use and a protective screen has been

installed on the till.

When shopping, customers are asked to observe the two metre social distancing rule.

Kirsty Francis, Tesco area manager for Buckinghamshire, said: “We’ve been delighted to help Willen Hospice with donations from our stores across Milton Keynes. I’m very proud of the store teams who pulled together to make this happen and we all send our best wishes to the team at Willen and their new temporary store.”

The shop will be open from 10am to 3pm every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

To reduce the risk of infection for customers and colleagues, customers are requested to provide their own shopping bags for added safety, and contactless payment is encouraged wherever possible.