Hope House shops gear up for festival fashion
Sunhats, wellies and musical instruments are among donated items being collected by two charity shops, ready for Shrewsbury Folk Festival this weekend.
Festival fever has hit two Hope House children’s hospice charity shops as they look forward to running a pop-up retail stall at the folk festival at the DMOS People West Mid Showground, this August bank holiday weekend.
Staff and volunteers at Hope House’s Oteley Road and Lancaster Retail Park shops, have been collecting pre-loved festival fashion and accessories ahead of the popular festival which is expecting around 7,000 visitors a day.
As the festival’s official charity partner, Hope House receives a donation from each adult weekend ticket sold as well as from donations for battery charging for mobile phones and for a chair creche, where revellers can safely leave their camping chairs overnight. An annual bucket collection on the Sunday afternoon also creates an important fundraising boost.
Last year, Hope House raised more than £11,400 at the festival. This impressive amount saw the overall total raised reach the £100,000 milestone. The partnership began in 2008, and Hope House is delighted to have made more than £102,700 to fund music therapy for children who use the Morda-based hospice.
Hope House volunteers Lucy Walls and Ella Richards, who both work every Tuesday at the Shrewsbury charity shop near Percy Thrower’s Garden Centre, are looking forward to working at the festival.
Lucy is a loyal festival fan who is looking forward to taking in the music and festival spirit as well as meeting lots of customers looking for pre-loved bargains.
“I love music festivals, and camping, and always volunteer at the folk festival,” she says.
Ella, who has volunteered for Hope House for more than a decade, is a keen musician who plays violin, piano and ukulele.
She says: “The folk festival has a really good atmosphere and I’m looking forward to being part of it again.”
Fundraiser Bekki Fardoe says: “Thank you so much to Shrewsbury Folk Festival for supporting us and welcoming back our pop-up shop for 2024. We were so excited to surpass the £100,000 total last year, and look forward to being a part of this wonderful internationally-renowned local event again.
“Music benefits the children and siblings at Hope House in many forms, from soothing music for babies, to children’s songs with our care team, to drumming and keyboard playing for teens. Music brings pleasure to everyone and is a lovely way for children to make themselves heard.”
Shrewsbury Folk Festival’s Artistic Director Sandra Surtees says: “We’re so pleased that our festivalgoers continue to support Hope House year on year, with their generous donations and through shopping at the wonderful stall in our craft area.
“We were delighted to have smashed the £100,000 barrier last year and look forward to continuing to support the charity, and spreading the joy of music, for many years to come.”
