Reds legend to open new hospice store
LIVERPOOL Football Club legend and TV broadcasting pundit, Mark Lawrenson, will officially open Queenscourt Hospice’s new retail shop in his hometown of Southport on Saturday, just in time for the Christmas shopping rush.
Located in a prime location on Chapel Street, the shop will give the Queenscourt Hospice retail division a higher-profile presence in Southport town centre.
The charity already runs another five shops, based in Formby, Burscough, Ormskirk, Tarleton and Churchtown, together with an online eBay Shop and The Boxtree Kitchen café, also located in Churchtown.
The latest addition to Queenscourt’s shop network will sell high-end men’s, women’s and children’s clothes, shoes and accessories, toys, books, CDs, games and DVDs as well as bric-a-brac and other unique items, offering a new retail experience at the heart of Southport’s main shopping area
Run by a team of Volunteers alongside Queenscourt Hospice shop manager Sue Kay, the Chapel Street shop will help raise much-needed funding to support the essential services that Queenscourt Hospice delivers for local people in Southport, Formby and West Lancashire.
Every year, Queenscourt supports hundreds of patients with life-limiting illnesses, enabling them to achieve the best possible quality of life, addressing individual needs through its inpatient unit, Queenscourt Connect, Queenscourt at Home and Queenscourt in Hospital and Community.
In all, it costs over £400 an hour, 365 days a year, to keep Queenscourt Hospice running, and the charity relies heavily on community support and donations to do this.
The new Chapel Street shop will play a vital role in the charity’s fund-raising efforts.
Queenscourt Hospice services director, Debbie Lawson, said: “We are very excited to be launching a new shop in the heart of Southport.
“By having a presence right in the centre of the shopping district, we will offer a new level of convenience for customers and hope that people will take the opportunity to visit our outlet as part of their regular town centre shopping trips.
“In the run-up to Christmas we’d like to invite the community to come and see what the shop has to offer and to bag some exclusive bargains while supporting their local hospice.
“We’re enormously grateful to Mark Lawrenson for giving his time to help launch our new shop.
“We know he is a passionate advocate of northwest charities and his support for Queenscourt will really help to highlight the vital work that we do.”
The Queenscourt Hospice Chapel Street shop will be officially launched by Mark Lawrenson at 11am on Saturday.
Alongside Mark and Debbie at the event will be Queenscourt Hospice area retail manager Sue Newth, and Queenscourt Hospice Chapel Street shop manager Sue Kay, along with volunteer shop staff.