Shop aims to raise £100,000

A shop selling festive cards from a church aims to raise £100,000 this season.

The Stamford branch of Cards for Good Causes last year celebrating hitting the £1m mark since shop manager Beryl Kirtland took over in 2000 - and this season the team of volunteers have their sights set on raising £100,000 before the shop shuts on Saturday, December 17.

On Friday last week, Santa paid a visit to the shop at St John’s Church in Red Lion Square to cut the ribbon and declare the shop open. While he was there, he also took the time to deliver some early gifts to the youngest shoppers there with their mums and dads.

The shop sells cards for 45 charities, including local ones, with at least 70p in every pound going to the charity. It also sells small gifts, gift wrapping and festive decorations.

Chief executive officer of Cards for Good Causes Jeremy Lune was also there and praised the Stamford team for making the shop one of the top 10 biggest stores in the country and the only one in the top 10 not in a large city.

He said: “That is testament to the hard work of the shop managers and volunteers here and the generosity of the people of Stamford.

“I really believe that we can do our first £100,000 season this year if we continue to get such fantastic support.”

For the first time, shop manager Beryl Kirtland is also selling charity quizzes in a bid to cover the running costs of the shop and has made a quilt herself to give away as a prize.

The shop is open Monday to Saturday 9.30am to 4.30pm until Saturday, December 17.