A STAFF shortage has prompted a chain of Oxfordshire charity shops to hold a month-long appeal for volunteers.

The British Heart Foundation, which has three shops in Oxford– in Headington, Cowley, and the city centre – and others in Abingdon and Didcot, neeeds people to spare a couple of hours a week tohelp run them.

Linda Woodthorpe, manager of the London Road, Headington, branch, said: “We have two paid staff in each shop, a manager and an assistant manager, but we really do rely on volunteers to allow us to get out and do more work.

“Through the whole of April we are hoping to attract more volunteers.”

Mrs Woodthorpe, who has worked at the shop for five years, added: “With the credit crunch, we are getting lots of things dumped at charity shops that people can’t get rid of, but we still get money for rags and recycling books we can’t use. People are shopping more at charity shops, but unfortunately they’re also not clearing out as much old stuff to give to us.”

Volunteers at the British Heart Foundation shops can be any age and do not need to commit to long hours.

Mrs Woodthorpe said: “People don’t realise that a couple of hours a week can make a really big difference and helps us out enormously.

“If people want to volunteer they can just come into the shop.

“We do a test for them and then they can start.

“At the moment we are really short on till staff.

“We get three deliveries of stuff a week, so if people are on the tills it allows us to sort out the items from our van drivers who collect 500 sacks a week.

“It doesn’t matter what age you are.

“We’ve got one woman in her 90s who can add things up even before they are put through the till.”

To volunteer, call in at your nearest British Heart Foundation shop or for more details visit bhf.org.uk