Crowds gather for official opening of new hospice charity store

AS the crowds swarmed in for Tuesday’s bustling market, Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity (FNHC) officially opened its brand new retail store on Cornmarket, Thame, for the first time, with special guest, Mayor of Thame, Cllr Nichola Dixon.

The new outlet which will house a dedicated children’s wear section, with well-known high street and designer name brands up for grabs, as well as ladies’ and men’s wear, jewellery, handbags, bric-a-brac and much more.

FNHC Trustee Jane Wilson welcomes the Mayor of Thame, Nichola Dixon to officially cut the ribbon to mark the opening of the Trust’s new charity shop in Thame

The Mayor, Cllr Dixon said: “It was an absolute pleasure to be asked to officially open the new Florence Nightingale shop in Thame on the 21st of July.  It was lovely to meet the staff and learn a little bit more about the hospice and the hopes and expectations for the shop.  I got to have a good browse round the shop and look forward to being able to shop for my daughter on a regular basis.”

Phil Moody, FNHC head of retail commented: “We’re really excited to be opening our Thame shop as we have some fantastic supporters here, and in the surrounding villages. Many local people have received specialist care and support from Florence Nightingale Hospice services, either in the hospice itself or at-home, or perhaps know of someone who has been supported in this way.

“We’ve been working on this project for a long time now and the shop has come together nicely. We have some great children’s wear items up for sale – with a selection of donated kids’ swimwear, for our opening, courtesy of Sunuva, so we’re hoping this will really go down well with local families.”

Phil added: “Good quality donations are always welcome, so please have a clear-out of your summer wardrobes and drop them down to us at the shop. We are also delighted to announce the Charity is hoping to open a second retail outlet in Haddenham in the very near future, to act as a donation and ‘feeder’ store for Thame. This shop will be manned by volunteers and we hope will be well-supported by the local community, which includes our Haddenham Community Fundraising Group.”

Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity currently has five traditional shops including; Chinnor, Leighton Buzzard, Aylesbury, Wendover and Winslow, as well as a Furniture Showroom ( to be re-launched soon) and eBay store.

The new Thame shop will be open Monday to Saturday, 9am-5pm. If you are interested in lending a helping hand as a volunteer, please call Tracey O’Hara on 01296 332600 or email tracyohara@fnhospice.org.uk. Hours to suit.

FNHC needs to raise over £600,000 this year to provide vital funding for in-patient and at-home hospice services for families battling life-limiting illness across Bucks, Beds and parts of Oxon.