Charity shop warehouse in Worthing and Brighton store set to reopen

After 12 weeks of being closed for business, YMCA Blatchington Road in Brighton and YMCA Worthing Warehouse in Portland Road, Worthing, will be throwing open their doors and welcoming back customers, donors and staff on Monday, June 15.

YMCA will be adhering to government guidelines with additional cleaning and social distancing measures, alongside hand gel stations at each entrance to ensure a safe environment for customers and colleagues.

Once it has reopened, donations to both sites are welcome, and if donors have any questions or concerns before dropping items off, they can call ahead.

The charity is also calling for more volunteers to help them get back up and running, as lockdown has affected their numbers.

Simon Green, head of etail at YMCA England & Wales said: “The retail team have been working extremely hard to reopen stores in a way which keeps customers, staff and the community safe, and we can’t wait to welcome everyone back for the first time since March 23.

“It truly is a privilege to serve at the heart of communities, providing not only the chance for customers to find bargains and recycle goods, but also to gain employment experience and create new friendships. We have missed you and we are delighted to be back.”

Blatchington Road and Worthing Warehouse are two of 19 stores due to reopen next week as part of YMCA England & Wales’ first phase, which aims to restore more than 40 shops to their local communities by the end of the month.

Money raised at YMCA charity shops across England and Wales is used to help transform the lives of young people across almost 700 local communities. From providing a warm bed for homeless young people to delivering mental health advice and counselling for those in need.

To find out more or to volunteer, visit https://www.ymca.org.uk/shops