A popular Arbroath charity shop will close its doors at the end of this month, with its long-standing manager set to lose her job.
Lynda Stuart, who has been at the helm of the town’s Oxfam shop for 11 years, said she was “sad and disappointed” by the decision but she “completely understands” why it had to be taken.
A statement released by the charity said it had decided not to renew the lease on its High Street premises when it expires on February 26 because of “rising costs.” It is understood that the organisation rents the site from a private landlord.
However, it was business as usual at the shop this weekend as Ms Stuart and her band of seven volunteers distributed leaflets in an attempt to raise awareness of the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day.
“It is a blow but I understand why they are doing it,” she said. “It would be defeating the purpose of raising money for a charity when the costs are so high and we have to think of the bigger picture.
“If anything comes up I may be redeployed but in the meantime I plan to have a rest. I will definitely continue being involved with Oxfam though.”
The charity has had a presence in Arbroath for the past 25 years and revenue from goods sold in the shop has gone towards helping the poor across the globe as well as the victims of high-profile natural disasters recent examples of which are the earthquake in Haiti and the flooding in Pakistan.
Ms Stuart also paid tribute to her “wonderful” volunteers, all of whom live in the town.
“A lot of the volunteers have been involved with us for years and you couldn’t get more dedicated people,” she added. “It’s a big loss to them too but, like me, they understand where it has come from.
“We do have shops in Forfar and Montrose but travelling may make it difficult for some of them to volunteer there.”
An Oxfam spokeswoman said the charity had been “fortunate to have had the support of a dedicated group of volunteers, staff and customers” during its time in Arbroath.
She added, “We are hugely grateful and would like to say a big thank you to these people who, together with our other 53 shops throughout Scotland, have made a valuable contribution to overcoming global poverty and suffering.
“We hope that people in and around Arbroath who have supported us will continue to support Oxfam through our shops in Forfar and Montrose.”