Sir Stuart Hampson, former John Lewis chairman, and patron of Hft, opened the charity’s first shop in Berkhamsted on Saturday, 23rd January 2010 at 10am.Sir Stuart formally cut the ribbon to the store at 10am and the doors opened to the public for trading at 10.30am.
One of the longest serving and most successful leaders of a blue-chip company and a highly regarded businessman, Sir Stuart retired from the John Lewis Partnership in March 2007 after 14 years as chairman.
He became a patron of Hft, which provides support for over 1,000 people with learning disabilities across the UK, in March 2008.
Sir Stuart was joined at the shop opening by The Mayor of Berkhamsted, Councillor David Collins, Richard Barber OBE, Chairman of Hft, and Anne Piercy MBE, Chairman of Hft’s Dacorum Friends Group.
Anne, who lives in Northchurch and whose son, Mark, lives at Hft Bedfordshire, has fundraised tirelessly on behalf of the charity for over 33 years and has actively campaigned for Hft to open a shop in the area.She will share the shop manager’s role with Karen Gavin, whose son, David, also lives at Hft Bedfordshire.
“It really is a dream come true after 33 years of fundraising outside with our market stalls to be finally going inside!” said Anne.
The Berkhamsted shop, which is open from 9am to 5pm from Monday to Saturday, will sell a wide selection of donated goods, from clothes, bags and shoes through to books and records. All proceeds will go towards Hft’s work supporting people with learning disabilities throughout the country.
The charity has a network of 16 shops situated mainly in the North West and East Anglia; they are run by experienced managers with the support of local volunteers.
26 January 2010
