Barkingside Haven House hospice shop has shut

A charity shop which raises funds for a children’s hospice has closed after more than 10 years.

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Haven House charity shop, in High Street, Barkingside, closed its doors for the final time on Saturday.

Julia Jones, director of income generation and direction for the hospice, based in High Road Woodford Green, said the closure was due to a rent increase, which meant it was no longer commercially viable to continue running the shop.
She added: “We will be exploring other avenues of funding, and hope to re-open a shop where rates are cheaper.
Ann Lawlor, who had worked at the shop for six years, said: “We are the latest in a long line of shops to close on this high street.”

Explaining why she worked at the shop she said: “I love going to Haven House and seeing the children there.”

The shop held a closing down sale and all items were cut price on Saturday.

Mrs Lawlor added: “Anything we can’t sell will be sent to the Chingford branch of Haven House charity shop, or sold for ‘rag’.”

Ms Jones said despite the recession charity shops had enjoyed a revival.

“We did see a downturn initially, where everyone was concerned with saving every penny they could, but since then both our charity shops have been doing really well,” she said.
“We considered the Barkingside branch as a flagship store so it’s especially sad to see it close,” she added.