A CHARITY shop in York which earlier this year exceeded  "its wildest dreams" after fears of closure is now looking for a new manager.

As The Press reported at the time, a year ago, charity shop It's Donated in Lowther Street, near York Hospital, was in grave danger of closure. With falling sales and increasing costs, trustees voted in May 2022 to close the site and give any assets to the charities it supports.

But, against the odds they fought off closure and now the shop, which is run by John Lally International Foundation, a small local charity which supports environmental causes, is looking for a a new part-time manager.

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Trustee, Jeremy Piercy said: "We are looking for someone who has an eye for clothing and is hardworking; able to sort though hundreds of bags of donations and who is enthusiastic about recycling clothes and other products.

"We are looking for someone who is good with people because we have all kinds of folk coming into the shop and sometimes it's people who are lonely or have problems of one kind or another and the shop provides a place for people to come and talk and feel they have a place they can go."

Jeremy described the foundation as "an old-fashioned charity not a national chain, supporting people in the local community in the Groves" and said many of its volunteers live close by.

It is well-known in the Groves, setting up planters in the Lowther Street shopping arcade and paying for a new hedge to be planted at Park Grove School.

It's also a charity that works overseas as it supports eco causes worldwide. This year, it has given £8,000 to help reclaim deserts in Maili, Africa and £4,000 to build a charity in Indonesia, which builds river barriers to stop plastic flowing into the ocean.

Jeremy said: "This year sales have been higher than any previous year. Doom and gloom have changed to delight as the shop contemplates a rosy future, having paid all its costs and made a profit.

"Unlike York's mecca for charity shops in Goodramgate, which is high on pedestrians and low on donations, Lowther Street is short of pedestrians and high on donations so It's Donated is able to offer the best.

"Bongo drums, chess sets, golf clubs, plants for the garden, tool kits, cat baskets you don't know what you might find at It's Donated. Its range is supplemented by organic incense, oils and oil burners, bamboo socks, rugs and jute bags, donated by Shared Earth, the Fair Trade/eco shop near York Minster."

The job is between 12-15 hours a weeek and the closing date is Tuesday, October 31. Anyone interested should apply to trustee Jeremy at jp@sharedearth.co.uk