March branch of Scope's charity shops will be among the first to re-open

On Monday (15) Scope Charity shop in March will be among one of the first 16 of 207 branches to reopen its doors to the public.

Scope, the disability equality charity, has seen its retail income plummet during the pandemic. Under normal trading conditions, Scope’s total number of shops generate £1.7-£1.9 million a month, but in April, with no shops open, the charity’s income was 85 per cent down on the same period in 2019. The March shop, located in Broad Street, has potentially lost £19,000 from April 1 – June 11.

Scope’s priority as its shops reopen is the safety of staff, volunteers and customers. Shopping post-coronavirus will be a different experience and new safety guidelines will be in place. Scope are introducing social distancing, intensive shop cleaning, hand washing and imposing a 72-hour quarantine for all donations. All shops will have sneeze screens in place at the till for added re-

Scope’s priority as its shops reopen is the safety of staff, volunteers and customers. Shopping post-coronavirus will be a different experience and new safety guidelines will be in place. Scope are introducing social distancing, intensive shop cleaning, hand washing and imposing a 72-hour quarantine for all donations. All shops will have sneeze screens in place at the till for added re-assurance.

Scope’s staggered approach to reopening its network of 207 shops will be an opportunity to test and learn. For the initial period, shops will be inviting one customer in at a time. All customers will be expected to use the hand sanitiser before browsing and one-way systems will be in place where necessary, along with two-metre distancing markers on floors.

Scope shops raise vital funds for the charity to run its services for disabled people. Since lockdown began in March, Scope’s helpline has seen an influx of calls from disabled people concerned about coronavirus. Scope’s online community has enabled thousands of disabled people, who might otherwise be feeling isolated, to connect with others. The charity’s family support and employment services have had to set up remotely so we can continue to be there for the people that need us.

As many people have had more time at home for a declutter, Scope is hoping to turn the public’s donation bags into money for services that support disabled people and their families. Each bag of donations is worth, on average, £20 to Scope.