BRITISH HEART FOUNDATION CHARITY SHOP – REOPENING

I was asked to open the British Heart Foundation Charity Shop in Mansion House Street on 24 January and was pleased to accept. The Mayor’s Parlour window overlooks the shop and over a two week period, shop fitters had been busy and subsequently the staff and volunteers in getting the refurbished shop ready with items for sale.
On my arrival I was greeted with balloons and ribbon decorating the shop front and potential customers waiting for the official opening. It was obvious that a great deal of work had been done by the staff and volunteers as the shop was at bursting point with goods of every shape and fashion. I had only been in the shop a few minutes when I was asked to carry out the opening ceremony. In my speech, I praised the staff for their efforts in getting everything ready in time. For the benefit of the public gathering, I stated that the British Heart Foundation was the national heart charity formed in 1961 and since then it has been dedicated to saving lives through pioneering research, with new drugs being developed as had surgical procedures, such as open heart surgery Thousands of lives had been saved and the quality of life for heart patients had been greatly improved. Two of my friends have had heart conditions which if they had occurred fifty years ago, they would not have survived. They now lead relatively normal lives. I added that we must not be complacent; heart and circulatory disease is still the nations biggest killer. More needs to be found out about the causes, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of heart disease. Research is very costly and the Foundation relies on voluntary donations and the money raised in its shops. The public’s support now and in the future will be greatly appreciated. I then declared the refurbished shop open and wished all the staff and volunteers all the best of success in the future.