Sheffield's Lord Mayor opens up new charity shop to boost her three good causes

Lord Mayor of Sheffield Coun Gail Smith opens her mayoral charity shop in Crystal Peaks Shopping Centre with representatives of the three charities

Coun Gail Smith chose Friends of Hi5 Disability Youth Group, Sheffield Hospitals Charity and The Salvation Army to support during her time in office and has now opened the shop at Crystal Peaks to boost her appeal.

The Lord Mayor, watched by shoppers and well-wishers, gave a speech about the opening of the charity on Tuesday, before she cut she ribbon, popped open a bottle of bubbly and spoke with guests about her hopes for the store.

People and guests were invited into the new shop by Coun Smith and a team of volunteers.

Lord Mayor of Sheffield Coun Gail Smith opens her mayoral charity shop in Crystal Peaks Shopping Centre which will raise funds for the Friends of Hi5 Disability Youth Group, Sheffield Hospitals Charity and The Salvation Army

Speaking about why she chose the charities to support, Coun Smith said: “All three of these charities are extremely important to me for a variety of reasons.

“Friends of Hi5s is my charity. I started off volunteering with Hi5s just over 10 years ago and the council ran the club and could have possibly shut it down, so I took over the building and set up a charity so that we could ensure that the club didn’t close.”

The Lord Mayor says she chose the Sheffield Hospitals Charity as she worked for the NHS for many years, so believed it had to be part of her new charity shop’s chosen good causes.

Speaking of her third charity, Coun Smith said: “The Salvation Army was the charity that my mother always gave to.

Lord Mayor of Sheffield Coun Gail Smith opens her Mayoral charity shop in Crystal Peaks Shopping Centre in aid of the Friends of Hi5 Disability Youth Group, Sheffield Hospitals Charity and The Salvation Army

“She said if you never support any other charity, give to the Salvation Army.

“I would like to thank everyone who came down the shop opening, and I hope you will all join me in supporting these fantastic charities by visiting the store in the coming months.”

The Lord Mayor hopes that people will spend their money at the charity shop to raise as many funds as possible for the charities but she also has another aim.

"This is an opportunity for the young people to come and get some training because some of them could, if trained, work in a charity shop or in a proper shop, and that is going to be part of their future up the ladder to working and getting a job.”

The Lord Mayor’s Charity Shop can be found at unit K5 of Crystal Peaks.