Hospice CEO Rob Jones said that the move felt like the highlight of the celebrations for the charity’s 35th year.
The dedicated second-hand children’s store, which has opened in the refurbished, former Game Changers unit, will sell clothes, toys and accessories, with all proceeds going directly towards nurses’ salaries at the hospice.
Mr Jones said the opening was a special moment after more than a year of talks about the possibility of a charity shop on site.
‘We’ve been working right up to the last minute to get the shop ready – and when I say we, I mean the team has really pulled together. The support we’ve had from Oatlands to get it across the line – the patience and perseverance – has been fantastic.
‘To actually get here, I’m just stoked, basically.’
Plans for Les Bourgs to move into Oatlands initially came up against a planning covenant dating back to 2017, which expressly prevented charity shops from operating at the site.
But DPA president Neil Inder gave the plans the green light in March, agreeing to a shop dedicated solely to children’s items so as not to compete with shops in the main centres of St Peter Port and the Bridge.
While negotiations continued, Oatlands Village set about refurbishing the unit, including fitting new windows, flooring and roofing.
The new store joins Les Bourgs’ existing shops in St Martin’s and on the Bridge, all of which help raise the £2.8m. a year needed to operate the hospice. Mr Jones said its main store in St Martin’s had demonstrated a demand for affordable children’s goods.
‘We recognise a need on the island, and we see a role for ourselves,’ he said.
‘To be able to do that in the north of the island feels like we’ve completed it now.’
Les Bourgs’ senior retail manager Danielle Bullock, who will oversee both shops, said the response to appeals for stock had been amazing.
‘Not just from parents, it’s grandparents as well, it’s really exciting,’ she said.
The new shop was brimming with donated, good quality clothes, toys and other children’s items ready for opening day, with further stock already waiting upstairs.
Miss Bullock said preparing the store had initially seemed daunting.
‘Once I sorted through it and started putting the bones of it together, all the really hard work was done and then it was the exciting part of putting it all together. Somebody said “it’s not like a charity shop, it’s just like a normal shop” and we do pride ourselves on our quality.’
The shop is planning to open seven days a week, from 9.30am until 4.30pm.
Mr Jones said every volunteer shift had been filled ahead of the opening, but the charity remains keen to hear from more volunteers.
He said the average selling price at the new store was about £2.50, and he was optimistic that it would ‘easily fund’ a palliative care nurse.
‘But it has that extra purpose of supporting the community.
‘This is a community here, at Oatlands. It’s supporting the other businesses, they support each other – that’s what makes the whole place work. And it also opens up the opportunity for any family in the wider community to be able to afford really lovely toys and clothes.’
Donations for the Oatlands shop will continue to be accepted through Les Bourgs’ main St Martin’s shop, rather than at the new premises, due to limited storage space.
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