Leamington Myton Hospices shop volunteer has helped the charity for 25 years

Members of the Myton Hospices Warwick Street Shop team from L-R Kasia Stanczak, Alison McKellar, Eve Roberts, Janet Cooper, Phil Roberts, Chris Murphy, Joan Perry, Heather Alleyne, Ann Haynes, Kingsley Hasler (Manager), Vera Oughton (with the cake) and Phil Ferriday.

Staff at the charity’s shop in Warwick Street, Leamington, presented a cake to Vera Oughton to mark the date last Thursdsay, which was 25 years to the date on which she started working at the shop when it opened in 1992. Vera, 88, said: ”We stared off with the basics and the shop has got better ever since. “The charity now has so much support and we have regular customers coming in.

“It feels good that I over the years I have helped people and I’ve never minded giving up my time for that.”

Vera’s niece Colette was a cook at the Warwick hospice and told her about the work the charity does and asked her if she was interested in volunteering.

Having retired, Vera saw working at the shop as a good use of her spare time and at one point her late sister Jo also worked there.

The Myton Hospices now has 20 shops in and around the Warwickshire area.

The Warwick Street branch now has 12 volunteers who all work more than one shift each.

Kingsley Hasler, the branch manager, said: “They’re friends as well as volunteers and so loyal to the cause.”