Cancer charity shop in seaside town is forced to close after being targeted by ... trends now
A cancer charity shop in a seaside town has been forced to close after it was targeted by heartless shoplifters.
The Chemotherapy Cancer Project in Herne Bay, Kent is set to shut its doors at the end of August after a spate of thefts which has seen a variety of items, from clothes to ashtrays, stolen from the business.
The store has also struggled with a decrease in donations and the dominance of larger charities.
The charity shop's manager Graeme Sergeant, 70, said that shoplifting was a widespread issue in the area.
'You wouldn't believe what people nick,' he said. 'You wouldn't think they'd rob charity shops, but they do.
The Chemotherapy Cancer Project in Herne Bay, Kent has been forced to close after it was targeted by heartless shoplifters. The charity shop's manager Graeme Sergeant (pictured, right), 70, said that shoplifting was a widespread issue in the area
'Everyone across Herne Bay is suffering from shoplifting. It's terrible.
'I mean, who nicks a stopper out of a decanter? Who fills a van with four or five pieces of clothes when they're buying one - or not buying anything?'
Mr Sergeant, who is a retired engineer, added that people had the false impression that charities did not need to be run like other businesses.
'We had someone say, 'Well you don't pay for nothing' but we do,' he said.
'We pay the same bills as any normal business and it all adds up.
'If you're not getting the income in or someone's walking off with some of that income, you can't pay your bills.'
The manager's wife Lizzie, 67, who is a volunteer at the charity shop, now has grade four cancer which has also contributed to the closure of the business.
Mr Sergeant, who has been with his wife for 51 years, said: 'Unfortunately, donation-wise, across Herne Bay the little charities are not getting the donations.
