'Outstanding' Rothwell charity shop praised after reaching £100,000 fundraising milestone

Staff and volunteers at a Rothwell charity shop have been praised after the total they have raised to help forces veterans passed £100,000.

Heroes Charity Shop in Market Hill was set up 12 years ago when Laurie Johnston and Irene James put their own money in, after the latter and two friends – one of which was Laurie’s late wife Rose – left another shop in the area.

Now, after raising an outstanding £105,000 for the Help for Heroes charity, Laurie, Irene, the shop staff and the amazing team of volunteer helpers have been recognised with a certificate.

And having reached the six-figure milestone Laurie and Irene aren’t ready to step down just yet.

Laurie, 82, said: “The shop will remain. Irene and I will step aside as and when, but as and when we have the right people taking over.”

The decision to choose Help for Heroes as the shop’s benefiting charity was driven by Laurie’s own experience in the services and the timing of its conception. He served for five years in the RAF as a dog handler before joining the Met Police. He said that, when they decided to launch the charity shop, it was at a time when TV news channels were showing bodies of fallen soldiers returning to the UK and coffins being paraded through the streets.

Looking back at the start of a remarkable journey, Laurie said: “We decided we’d set up a charity shop and launched it in 2011 with no funding. Irene and I put our own money to get the business rolling and were going hand to mouth for a little while. But we went from strength to strength.

“We've had a lot of good volunteers come in, from the community, and work with us. When Rose died it was just me and Irene. We couldn't have operated without the volunteers. We also have a couple of shop managers, who get paid – and they do a great job – but it's the volunteers who are the backbone of the shop: the heroes of the Help for Heroes shop.

“Irene and I have never had a ha’penny from the shop – no wages or expenses. It costs around £60,000 to £70,000 a year just to run the shop. So that £100,000 is on top.

“We have a lot of people locally – and people who aren't local – who come to the shop purely because it's raising funds for Help for Heroes. We have ex-service personnel, mothers whose kids have been in the military, all sorts – and they come from far and wide.”

Dean Williams, Help for Heroes’ area fundraising manager who presented the certificate, said: “The team at the Heroes Charity Shop should be immensely proud of what they have achieved. They have built great relationships with their local community and continue to fly the flag for Help for Heroes as well as providing essential donations.

“With more and more veterans and their families coming forward for support, these donations are as vital now as they were in 2011, and we can’t thank the shop team enough for supporting our work: long may it continue.”