SOCIAL distancing measures will be enforced with the use of floor markers when charity shops open their doors for the first time in nearly three months on Monday.

Additional safety regulations which adhere to guidance provided by the Government and Public Health England, due to the coronavirus pandemic, will be in place across all of the shops and drop-off points run by Havens Hospices and Southend Hospital.

Havens Hospices has seen a significant drop in funding due to the cancellation of a number of fundraising events and the closure of its 23.

Bosses there are now looking forward to reopening so they can continue to raise vital income.

However, the charity will not be accepting donations until June 22 to allow staff and volunteers to process and manage donations which came in before lockdown.

Southend Hospital charity shops, meanwhile, will only take donations every Friday.

Customers will be asked to follow the two-metre social distancing guidelines, with floor markers also in place.

Hand sanitiser stations will be provided in each shop, while there will be a reduced number of customers allowed in the stores at any one time and the fitting rooms are set to remain closed.

Cash will not be accepted when paying for items, with contactless and cards being the only forms of payment allowed.

Trevor Johnson, director of income generation at Havens, said: “We are thrilled that we can finally open our shops to our customers so we can continue raising money for our hospice care.

Echo:

Looking forward to reopening - Trevor Johnson

“Havens Hospices needs your support more than ever in our shops after being closed for nearly three months – every purchase made helps us provide our essential palliative and supportive care during these difficult times.

“We ask the public to please follow the new guidelines in our shops for their own safety and for the safety of our staff and volunteers.”

All items donated by the public will be quarantined for the suggested 72 hours and cleaned before being made available for purchase.

Lucy Thomas-Clayton, Southend Hospital’s director of charities and voluntary services, said: “With lots of people having clear-outs during lockdown, we are expecting a huge influx of donations, so we ask our customers to kindly bear in mind that on some occasions, due to the limited storage space in our shops, we may not be able to accept some donations on the day.”