RSPCA Charity shop set to open in Castleton

RSPCA logo

A new RSPCA charity shop is set to open in Castleton, Rochdale next Monday (23 September) making this the eighth RSPCA shop to open in the borough.

The new shop will be located at 856 Manchester Road, Castleton in what used to be St Martin's Charity Shop.

Shirley Mellor, shops area coordinator for RSPCA Rochdale, said: “We have been looking in Castleton for quite a while now and when we saw the To Let sign on this building, we knew it was the right one for us.” 

The process of getting the shop ready for business has taken the RSPCA approximately six months and final preparations are underway for the opening. “The floor is going in on Thursday and then it’s all hands on deck over the weekend,” added Shirley.

Shirley said: “Without these shops we couldn’t do the work that we do. I just hope the people of Castleton embrace us.” 

The new RSPCA shop is also looking for volunteers to help run the shop. The RSPCA only employs one paid member of staff in their shops.

Katie who will be managing the new shop has been volunteering with the RSPCA for three years and has now been given this managerial position.

“We really rely on the volunteer force to help with the shop and Katie will need people to help,” said Shirley.

Donations to the shop are also needed. The RSPCA charity shop will take any unwanted goods, including electrical items and unwanted clothing. Anything that is not fit for sale is then recycled.

Shirley added: “There isn’t much we don’t sell and we are grateful of any donation.”

Donations can be made to the shop or to your nearest RSPCA shop. The charity also offers a collection service for goods that are too heavy or for people who need to move a lot of goods.

Anyone interested in volunteering in the shop can either email Shirley Mellor at sm.rspca@btconnect.com or by calling into the store once it has opened and picking up a volunteer information pack.