With only 9 weeks left to Christmas the Combined Charities Christmas Shop will be opening its doors again on Saturday 30th October at Wilmslow Library.
Sheila Hallas started this enterprise back in 1971, in a tiny shop on Clifton Street, Alderley Edge with no money for equipment or publicity. A paraffin heater, pasting tables and a cash box provided the bare bones and having operated the shop for about 10 days Sheila made £750 for the 12 initial charities.
For the next 10 years Sheila found empty shops in which to house the Combined Charities Christmas Shop in return for no money which she describes as having been quite difficult.
Sheila said "Amongst the places we occupied were a horrible hairdressers on Grove Street where the drains were full of hair, an old bank and Tomlinsons, the grocers on Water Lane where we had to cover a bacon slicer with a cloth.
"I always knew it wasn't the thing to do to be occupying empty shops because nobody knew where we were from one year to the next, we had to be where the public were so the library was ideal."
Today, it is vibrant and thriving, having grown and developed year on year to now represent over 100 charities. Combined Charities have remained true to their original ethos though - all charities get 100% of their sales and no-one working for the organisation is paid.
Sheila explained "We inevitably have expenses - we must pay for the library hire, which this year has been increased by 20% in Wilmslow, insurance, telephone, publicity material etc. A lot of unseen effort is thus needed to organise the sales of Christmas goods in the libraries, whose profits provide the funds to cover these overheads, and allow us to stay true to our principles.
Sheila Hallas and Jill Dodson attend both the NEC and Harrogate Gift Fair to source what they feel will be the most saleable gifts for men, ladies and children and aim to settle on their selection in August. When I met with Sheila and Jill a couple of weeks ago the first of many deliveries had arrived that day. All of which need to be priced and distributed so thankfully there is a team of skilled and professional volunteers who ensure that the operation runs smoothly.
I realised soon after meeting her that Sheila Hallas is one of Wilmslow's remarkable residents, who took a big risk setting up her first shop 39 years ago and since then has raised a staggering £3.5 million for charity. Thirteen years ago Sheila went to Buckingham Palace where she was deservedly awarded an MBE for all her hard work, which she describes as a "complete surprise."
The Combined Charities also offer an overprinting facility for companies or individuals who wish to have their cards printed with personal messages. Sheila explained "We have a craft printer and can beat everyone's prices. We can't do colour printing or logos but we can print names, addresses, company names and personal messages in the cards - orders for which are taken in the shop."
The Combined Charities Christmas Shop will be open at Wilmslow Library from Saturday October 30th until Saturday 11th December and new for this year, in addition to cash and cheques, they will be accepting debit card payments.
For further information or to purchase charity christmas cards online visit www.christmas-cards.org.uk.
