The British Heart Foundation shop in Sidmouth is looking for volunteers.

This January, the Sidmouth charity shop is encouraging the public to get involved – whether that’s working the till, sorting donations or welcoming customers. The  British Heart Foundation (BHF)  has plenty of volunteering roles available.

After several closures during the Covid pandemic, many BHF shops have seen volunteer numbers plummet. Some may even be forced to reduce opening hours if volunteer recruitment remains low.

Retail volunteering operations manager Sarah Boardman says “Volunteers are our life-blood,We simply cannot operate our shops and stores without their generous support"

“Currently, our volunteering hours are down 20 percent compared to pre-Covid and we have on average 2,500 fewer volunteers each week supporting our shops and stores. In 2022, we’d love to see people looking for a new hobby or a way to support the community, donate to us the gift of time and give whatever time they can.”

“You can commit just a few hours each week or a few days,” says Sarah. “Volunteering at the BHF is a great opportunity to meet new people, boost your confidence, gain retail experience and help us give unwanted items a new lease of life. Every hour given will help us raise funds to support those living with heart and circulatory diseases.”

Volunteers can get involved in tasks like administration, operating tills, merchandising on the shop floor and answering customer queries. The charity also offers online roles for those keen on honing their tech skills, by helping to research, photograph and list items for BHF’s online shops.  

For more than 60 years, the public’s generosity has funded British Heart Foundation's research that has turned ideas that once seemed like 'science fiction' into treatments that save lives every day. But millions of people are still waiting for the next breakthrough. Today in Devon 170,000 people are living with heart and circulatory diseases.

They urgently need the public’s support to keep our life saving research going, and to discover the treatments and cures of the future.

For more information on how to get involved head to bhf.org.uk/signmeup