Vharity Survival Threat

A CHARITY which has helped hundreds of people set up home could face closure if volunteers do not step in to help.
The Beacon Trust was formed 15 years ago to supply those in need with donations of furniture, electrical goods and home comforts.


But the Kirkmichael-based organisation is so short-staffed and underfunded that it is struggling to cope with demand.
The Christian charity, which is run by a handful of elderly volunteers, has been forced to cut back opening times in order to ease the workload.
Jean Freke, aged 64, runs the charity shop and store room on Stuckleckie Drive with the help of her 63-year-old colleague Jean Butler.
She said: “We used to be open five days a week but we just couldn’t cope because of the lack of manpower. There are only two of us to look after the shop and it’s quite demanding work for someone our age.
“You’re not just folding clothes and running a till. You’re lugging about washing machines and fridge-freezers. I have to move the furniture about the store room on my own, it’s back-breaking.
“The driver we have to collect and deliver stuff is often on his own, too, and he has metal plates in his hands so he can’t manage the heavy furniture by himself.”
She added: “We do the best we can but the premises we have to stock and store are very dilapidated and prone to terrible vandalism. The shutters have been ripped off, the windows smashed and the locks have to be replaced because they get filled with glue and concrete. It’s terrible.”
The Trust give hope to scores of young couples, single parent families, and women who have left violent partners, by providing them with the home comforts many of us take for granted.
Whatever is left over is sold in the shop to help cover running costs and repair damage caused by vandals.
Jean said: “I can’t tell you how many hundreds of people we have helped in the 10 years I have been here. There is nothing worse than sitting at home with nothing and no light at the end of the tunnel. We are the light at the end of the tunnel.
“People can start the day without a chair to sit on or a bed to lie on, without even a kettle or a mug to make a cup of tea, and that evening they are sitting with home comforts around them.”
The trust is seeking volunteers to help in the shop, man the delivery vans and move items around the storage room. They also need donations of quality furniture, electrical appliances and household equipment so that they can continue delivering their invaluable service to the community.
To find out more about how you can help call the shop on 01436 674077 or visit the premises at 13 Stuckleckie Road.