Celebrating the return of our shopsCelebrating the return of our shops
Getting back to business
All of our stores have now re-opened, we've got new superstores in the portfolio, and Flame of Hope nominations are open.
It's great to be back.
A message from Julie Byard, Director of Trading
I’m thrilled to celebrate with you, our much-valued volunteers, that all of our shops nationwide are now back in cancer-beating business.
Over the past month, with volunteers by our side, we have safely re-opened our 600 shops, opened three brand new large superstores, and had our best ever week of trading. What a comeback. My favourite thing was seeing the smiles behind the masks of our volunteers, staff and happy customers.
A quick word on our superstores - the Newport Superstore is our largest store in Wales; the Bristol Brislington store is home to our first-ever coffee shop; and the hattrick was scored with the opening of Dundee at the end of April. If you’re nearby, do pop in to browse, donate or grab a cuppa.
Our focus on health and safety remains a top priority in shops old and new. It’s important that you come back to volunteer only when the time is right for you.
Whether you’re already back in your shop, are planning to return in a while or not at all, thank you for your dedication. Covid-19 has slowed us down, but we will never stop. With your support, we’re determined to continue our life-saving research and we will still beat cancer.
How would you like to hear from us?
When our shops first closed last year due to Covid-19, we started sending volunteer communications to you, our valued shop volunteers, to keep you updated. We currently send these to you by text message unless you have provided an email address for us to use.
Do you enjoy reading them? Would you like them to continue?
Please tell us your thoughts and we’ll consider your feedback as we make future plans.
Celebrating our volunteers
We’re incredibly grateful for the support of our volunteers. So we’re delighted to announce that nominations for our 2021 Flame of Hope awards are now open until Friday 21 May for you to nominate your fellow volunteers.
The Flame of Hope Awards are our annual celebration of our outstanding volunteers and supporters. With 14 different award categories, there are opportunities to recognise volunteers across all aspects of our work. We warmly welcome nominations from both staff and supporters.
Cancer research and artificial intelligence
Despite the difficult time we’ve been through, there’s a lot of excitement in the research community at the moment. We’re in a really exciting period of discovery. And you, as our volunteers, play a key role in making this research possible.
Recently, Cancer Research UK-funded researchers have developed a new technique to help experts diagnose Barrett’s oesophagus – a pre-cancerous condition that can increase the risk of developing oesophageal cancer.
Their study explored how artificial intelligence could help free up pathologists' time and allow them to focus on diagnosing the trickiest cases of Barrett’s oesophagus.
You can read more in our blog post.
"I was so looking forward to our shop re-opening. Our lovely customers were happy to be back and it feels very close to normality again!" - Paul, Blackheath shop volunteer
Cancer Chat
A moderated discussion forum where you can talk to others affected by cancer, share experiences and get support.
Talk to our nurses
If you've got questions about cancer, it's easy to call our nurses on freephone Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
Volunteer Hub
The Volunteer Hub is a dedicated area for our volunteers. Here you can keep up to date with the latest volunteering information and resources.