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Sue Ryder Care celebrate its shops golden anniversary

2 July 2008

Throughout July and August, Sue Ryder Care is celebrating its shops Golden Anniversary - 50 years as one of the leading charity retailers on the high street - and is encouraging people nationwide to join in the celebrations.

To celebrate its golden milestone and help raise vital funds, Sue Ryder Care’s shops will be offering ‘golden items’ to buy, all kindly donated from supporters of the charity.  And, each shopper that buys a ‘golden item’ will receive a small gift.  All shops will also be hosting a special ‘Golden Anniversary’ themed party in the first week of August to thank local communities for their support over the years.    

The healthcare charity opened its first shop in 1958 in ‘a poor part of London’ followed shortly after by a shop in Knightsbridge.  Over the past five decades Sue Ryder Care has grown considerably and today operates 370 shops nationwide, all of which raise vital funds to help the charity deliver expert and compassionate care to people living with conditions including Brain injury, Multiple Sclerosis, Cancer, Huntington’s Disease, Stroke and Dementia.

Sue Ryder Care has consistently remained at the forefront of the charity retail sector, leading the way with groundbreaking initiatives including, implementing the Gift Aid Scheme on donated items and encouraging people to embrace the environmentally friendly, re-use ethos and donate unwanted items to Sue Ryder Care rather than throw away and contribute to landfill.  Currently, around 20 million items are donated to Sue Ryder Care shops each year, accounting for 80% of the shops’ sales. 

Alan Hodge’s, director of retail at Sue Ryder Care, said, “Charity retail has changed beyond recognition from its early origins in the late 1950s and today is a highly competitive sector where charities must evolve and be innovative in order to survive. One constant has remained though, the support of volunteers and local communities.  Their support has been immeasurable and has enabled us to develop and grow our retail portfolio and ultimately raise more funds for the charity.” 

Alan added, “Thanks to the generosity of local communities, Sue Ryder Care shops have built a reputation for selling good quality donated items.  Lady Ryder reported on the first shops that were established, ‘one of the most heartening and amazing consequences is the quality and quantity of the gifts which poured in’.  And, by keeping our prices on items affordable we have developed a strong and loyal customer base.  
 
“By supporting our shops – whether that is through donating and gift aiding unwanted items, shopping with us or volunteering - people can help us make a real difference to the lives of the thousands of people we care for each year.  I hope as many people as possible join in with our golden celebrations and help us help more.”

Sue Ryder Care needs to raise £13 million in voluntary income each year to continue to deliver four million hours of care at specialist palliative, neurological and community based services nationwide.  For further information about Sue Ryder Care visit www.suerydercare.org     
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Image caption: Sue Ryder Care celebrates it shops Golden Anniversary – 50 years on the high street.

Editor’s Notes:

Sue Ryder Care shops’ Factbox:

• Sue Ryder Care was one of the first charities (after Oxfam) to open a shop to help raise funds.  Sue Ryder Care, formerly known as the Sue Ryder Foundation, opened its first shop in 1958 in a ‘poor part of London’.  Shortly after, the Foundation opened its second London shop in Knightsbridge.*    

• The Sue Ryder Foundation, founded by Lady Ryder in 1953, became Sue Ryder Care in 2000.

• Sue Ryder Care has grown considerably over the past five decades and is today one the largest charity retailers in the UK with 370 shops nationwide.

• Within a month or two of the opening of the first shop, takings in a good week had reached £20.*

• In the last 12 months Sue Ryder Care’s 370 shops have raised vital funds which have helped the charity deliver four million hours of care to people living with conditions including Cancer, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s Disease, Huntington’s Disease and Stroke.

• Around 20 million items are donated to Sue Ryder Care shops each year.  Donated goods account for 80% of sales in Sue Ryder Care shops.

• Sue Ryder Care was the first charity to apply the Gift Aid scheme on donated items, whereby charities can claim 28% of the sale of donated items from the Government.  Since the introduction of the tax efficient scheme in the charity’s 370 shops in November 2006, the tax efficient scheme has raised over £1million for the charity.  

• Sue Ryder Care was the first charity to launch a campaign to encourage shoppers to re-use their plastic bags and/ or purchase an environmentally friendly reusable bag.  Launched in November 2007, Sue Ryder Care’s BOBB – Bring Our Bag – campaign resulted in 310,500 less plastic bags ordered in just three months by the charity’s shops this year (January to March 2008) compared to last year, which saved Sue Ryder Care £16,567.     
     
*’Child of my Love’ an autobiography by Sue Ryder

For more information please call Alice Clements, PR co-ordinator at Sue Ryder Care on 07795 801 479 or email alice.clements@suerydercare.org.

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