CHARITY and not-for-profit company shops have re-opened their doors with many people dropping bags of donations to help them get up and running again.

Charities have been affected tremendously by the pandemic due to shop closures however finally they have, along with other non-essential retail, reopened.

On the Townsmoor Industrial Estate, manager of the Cancer Research shop, Carolyn Pooley said the situation has been better than when they reopened after the first lockdown.

She said: “Donations wise, after the first lockdown it was crazy, we were getting about 500 bags a day.

“This time it is a bit slower. Yes it’s busy but it’s not as busy.

“I think people have got their heads around it this time because they are calling in advance asking if we have got space so we aren’t getting buried alive.”

The charity has shops across the county which help bring in revenue for research into cancer treatments as well as supporting nurses and patients.

The store in Blackburn will take donations that will then be sent to other stores in the area.

Carolyn added: “One of the things we say is if we can have £200 behind the till, that puts a nurse on a cancer ward for a day.”

Although charity shops are expecting people will be more likely to bring items in after having another lockdown clear out, they are hopeful they will consider the mass influx of donations likely to hit shops.

Rummage Rescuers, a community interest company which helps vulnerable people in Blackburn with Darwen, re-opened the town centre and Mill Hill shops on Monday.

The company has managed to continue working in the community throughout the pandemic but Liz Crook said they have noticed the impact of the stores closure.

Liz said: “I’m sure we will get more of an influx.

“We set up an online page and online shop but we have been hit pretty bad in terms of income generation.

“We have lost out and that will then impact on us going forward.”

Liz said that the CIC has had income through other means that has allowed them to continue working with the community however the shop allows more members of the public to support the company easily.