THERE is some sad news in Crediton today, Tuesday, April 12.

Age Concern Crediton and District has announced in a statement to all of its supporters and clients: “With a heavy heart, the trustees of Age Concern Crediton and District have decided to close the High Street Charity shop.”

The statement continues: “For several years the shop has been struggling to maintain sales, worsened by the pandemic.

“During this time, we have also seen a dramatic rise in costs, been faced with the difficulty of staffing the shop and the availability of new volunteers to support our small but wonderful team.

“Unfortunately, despite all our efforts to-date, we see no feasible way to improve all these matters and because of this, we have no choice but to make a very difficult decision and close the shop on Friday, April 29, 2022.

“We’re very sorry for the turnout of events, but we shall be continuing to support the community through our centre in Deep Lane and via our Home Support Service.

“We thank each and every one of our customers from the bottom of our hearts for their support and we’re very proud of everything that the shop has achieved over the years and of our incredible staff and volunteers.”