Fear of closure for booming Christmas charity shop

A Christmas store which gives its profits to charity is facing potential closure due to the latest lockdown restrictions – despite only opening two weeks ago.

Cathy Willis, the manager of the Winchester branch of Cards for Good Causes, is currently awaiting news on whether she will be able to keep her shop open from Thursday due to the national lockdown.

She told WINOL: “For the next four weeks I will be either very bored or very busy!”

Cards for Good Causes is a company that shares all of its profits with major charities such as Macmillan Cancer Trust and the British Heart Foundation.

Cathy has been involved with this type of pop-up shop for nearly 20 years and said that she would be willing, if possible, to complete online orders.

Since the news broke that the country would be going into a lockdown, business has been booming, with shoppers queueing to get in to the city centre store.

The popularity within the past few days has gotten to a point where she has had to take down some of the gifts within the shop to primarily sell cards.

A vital part of the success of the shop are the volunteers from the Peter Symonds College. Cathy told WINOL: “I will be giving them good references.”