27 May 2011
Captain of the England blind football team and local businessman, David Clarke, cut the official ribbon at the grand opening of St Albans’ first Keech Hospice Care shop on Friday 27th May at 10.30am.
The charity shop, which is located on the High Street had local shoppers coming in their droves throughout the day to snap up designer clothes, household items and specialist vinyl.
The shop trades Monday to Saturday, 9am to 5pm, with all profits supporting the care Keech offers to local children with life-limiting illnesses and their families.
David, who has represented his country 116 times and is aiming to make the 2012 Paralympics team, said: “Keech Hospice Care does so much to help care for local families and it gives me great pleasure to open this fantastic new shop which will do a great deal to raise awareness for the charity and to raise some of the funds it needs to keep offering this vital care. The shop is in a great location and I’m sure it will make a valuable addition to the town.”
The new shop is currently appealing for volunteers to carry out a wide variety of roles such as till operators, visual merchandisers and helping to sort and steam stock. It is also asking for local people to donate good quality items such as clothing, bric-a-brac, CD’s and small pieces of furniture. These can be delivered to the shop during opening hours or, for larger items please call 0800 0323440 to arrange a collection.
Head of Retail, Philip Kojcinovic, said: The hospice retail operation raised nearly a million pounds profit in 2010/11 and with the opening of our 19th shop we hope to achieve in excess of £1,000,000 in 2011/12.
Claire Leonard and her family know just how much of a difference the support offered by Keech makes. In 2006, Claire, who lives in Radlett, gave birth to twins, Jessica and Georgia. Both girls had serious health complications and were found to have a condition called ‘Dilated cardiomyopathy’. Sadly Jessica died when she was just eight months old and, believing that Georgia only had a matter of days to live, Claire and her partner, Danny took her to Keech.
Four years later, Georgia still needs specialist care, is gastronomy fed and has to undergo lots of tests but Claire says she just seems to make the most of what life has thrown at her. She describes her daughter as loving, caring, funny, embraced by her friends and school, cheeky and a ‘proper little bossy boots’.
Claire recalls the first time they went to the hospice: “Before we arrived at Keech, at times the girls had been in different hospitals and we’d spent so much time travelling around, trying to be there for both of them and then we’d lost Jessica. We were physically and emotionally exhausted. Georgia was too. In hospital she’d had no peace. She was under constant observation and undergoing endless tests.
“Then we were told that we could take Georgia to Keech and I have to say I think going to Keech is what saved Georgia. As soon as we got there it felt like we’d just taken a breath of fresh air. It was relaxed, calm, the rooms were so nice and everyone was so helpful.
“Since then Keech has been a great support to us. Georgia loves going to the hospice and we also have a community nurse who helps us at home. That’s another good thing about Keech – having someone to talk to about your own feelings. I can talk to our community nurse about anything. We can have a laugh and a cry. I’m so comfortable with her and it’s amazing to have that kind of support.”
