Charity shops

CHARITY SHOPS We needed all the money we could get and to tell as many people about the situation in Moldova as we could. So it was on the one and only trip my parents made to Moldova that they came up with the idea of setting up a chain of shops in the Midlands. My father had a lot of experience in this field having set up five shops from scratch for a local hospice and taking the turn over to £150,000 in less than two years. Once they saw what I was up against they jumped in with both feet, though retired they were prepared to do the work and run everything. The overseas orphanage trust was set up with the sole aim to raise money for Moldova. This became a lifeline for us and meant that we could stay in Moldova and receive aid and visitors. The shops became a vocal point for our work with many local newspapers keeping a diary of our adventures. The support by local people was fantastic and every time we put out our collection bags with our information newsletters they would come back full. We ended up with three shops in all, but the work load was very great and after four years with my parents coming up to their seventies it was time to close them down. By this time we had moved forward with our charity. They had done their bit and more, they had come along with their offer of help when it was most needed. We are always looking at ways to raise funds and to tell others about Moldova, maybe you are interested in setting up a shop or fund raising there is so much that you could do to help.