Mountbatten shops have temporarily closed today (Monday) but the charity hopes to set up an online store as soon as possible.
Mountbatten said it was closing its ten shops and main warehouse in Newport to keep its staff, volunteers and customers safe following the outbreak of Coronavirus.
Plans to create a new online shop on its website will be accelerated and more items will be available on Mountbatten’s Ebay site.
Hartley: The loss of income will hit us
Mountbatten CEO, Nigel Hartley, said,
“The safety of our staff, volunteers and customers and supporters is our absolute priority.
“Our shops not only offer us a vital source of income, but they also act as social hubs for many people across the Island.
“The government has been very clear in asking us all to keep a distance from each other, so we must take the responsible step and close until further notice.
“The loss of income will hit us, at a time when we already know our general fundraising streams will be significantly affected.
“We would encourage people to visit our Ebay site and look out for our new online shop, which we will make available as quickly as we can.
“We need people to keeping thinking of us because despite everything that is happening, our work caring for hundreds of people in their homes and those in our hospice continues.
“Whether it’s making a donation via our Website or signing up to Walk the Wight Your Way, any support you can give is so vital to us.”
Donations of items for shops and Mountbatten’s warehouse cannot be accepted until they re-open.
Staff and volunteers will be redeployed to support other areas of the organisation, within the appropriate government guidelines.
For details on how to support Mountbatten, visit our Website.
News shared by Matt on behalf of Mountbatten. Ed
