Shop spotlight of the month - Cleckheaton

Charity shops are an important part of any community, providing a place to donate and purchase pre-loved fashions and goods at affordable prices. Shining a spotlight on the incredible work of our retail teams, this month, we visited our Cleckheaton shop nestled in the heart of the community.?

Located in the heart of the community and conveniently positioned next door to one of the Tesco entrances. Our little shop has a prominent place on the high street, recognisable by our bright a bold branding. An old mill town in the industrial revolution, known for its production of wool, Cleckheaton is currently in the process of a regeneration project, and situated between the city of Leeds, the City and district of Bradford, within the Kirklees boundaries of Huddersfield, with accessible links to the M62 from most angles, Cleckheaton has become a popular town in North Kirklees for visitors and charity shop lovers and amongst the hustle and bustle of the community you will find The Kirkwood Shop - Cleckheaton.?

Described as a treasure trove by its customers, our Cleckheaton shop boasts a great range of pre-loved items and new goods. From clothes, books, bric-a-brac, and electrical goods to gardening supplies and ornaments. The Kirkwood Cleckheaton shop is not only well presented and stocked with high quality items, but it also has a fantastic original feature spiral staircase guiding customers from the ground floor preloved clothing displays up to the second floor, bric-a-brac, new goods and children's toy section.?

Working with The Kirkwood for the last seventeen years, Mike Briggs has been manager of The Kirkwood Cleckheaton shop for the past nine years, making his mark as the first male shop manager for our charity, and is passionate about helping us to generate income towards the care we provide for those not only on our In-Patient Unit but also those remaining in their own homes within the community.

“I began working at The Kirkwood in 2007, intending to stay for a few years. However, nearly two decades later, I am still very much part of The Kirkwood Movement. I have worked at a variety of our shops, including our previous Dewsbury and Batley branches, now working as shop manager at our Cleckheaton shop, and I love it. All our shops are so different, and I enjoy working with the team here and interacting with our customers.?

“Many people that visit our shop are interested to see the spiral staircase in the centre of our shop floor. It’s an eye-catching feature and not something you see very often. It was important to me that we retained the building's unique original character.

“We have a great relationship with our customers and the surrounding shops in the area who help to promote us as a charity, and in turn, we help to spread the word about their businesses too. That's how it works in Cleckheaton. We all look out for each other as a close community, especially the businesses within the town centre.

“Having worked closely with the shop deputy manager Tina, for several years, we have a good understanding of how each other works and are united on how we want to build a great team. We have developed an excellent relationship with our volunteering team, all with different skills to contribute to our shop. With over twenty volunteers at our shop, some of our team have been with us for five to ten years. We are a close knit team who strive to do the best for the charity every day, and I am very proud of that."

Deputy manager Tina added: “I’ve been here seven years now and just love it, I love the customers, both new and returning, I also love the community spirit of the area. We receive all sorts of donations to help us to keep our shop replenished, and there is never a dull moment."

During our visit to catch up with Mike and Tina, we had the wonderful opportunity to meet some of the twenty volunteer team members Mike and Tina speak so highly of, like Sharon (pictured with Sharon and Sophie), asking her what she thinks is the best thing about working in our shop in Cleckheaton.

“I enjoy the sociable side of volunteering in the shop, knowing I am contributing to helping The Kirkwood, which I think is an amazing cause. I've always worked full time, and when I retired, I always wanted to be involved in something else, and volunteering in The Kirkwood's Cleckheaton shop provided me with that social aspect that I was looking to still have in my life."?

Sharing her reasons for selecting The Kirkwood to volunteer with, Sharon continues: "My mum Janet died whilst being cared for by The Kirkwood nineteen years ago, so I saw first hand the care and patience that the nurses offered her whilst she was in their care.?

“The Kirkwood has so many parts to it, their hospice building in Dalton, the community nursing team, caring for people in their own homes and all the shops in and around Kirklees and the online team at Sands Mill in Mirfield. I think sometimes people forget what a large infrastructure you need to run a charity like The Kirkwood, and I'm proud to be doing my part to support The Kirkwood by volunteering in the Cleckheaton shop.”

It's great to receive such lovely feedback from our retail teams, and if you thought we couldn't possibly have spoken to any more people, you'd be wrong. Once the customers visiting the Cleckheaton shop that day had noticed what we were doing there, they wanted to share their thoughts with us too! Telling us they love our little shop in the heart of the community, with its great atmosphere and team and why they choose to support The Kirkwood.

Maria said: “I come into the shop quite regularly. I come in twice a month. I like the quality of the items. I've bought quite a lot from here. The items are always well displayed, it's never too overcrowded, you can see everything with ease, it's nice.”

Meanwhile, Neil and Shelley, who were visiting that day looking for children's books that play sounds, shared with us their connection to The Kirkwood and why they support our shop.

“We are from Wyke, but we sometimes pop into Cleckheaton for a change of scene. We knew someone who worked at The Kikrwood Wyke shop who sadly died, and so we’ve always supported The Kirkwood because of that. We also like The Kirkwood and what they stand for. We always try to buy something when we pop into the shop.”

Amanda spoke very positively about our shop and team.

“I like the layout of the shop. The people that work here are fantastic, friendly, and helpful. I support The Kirkwood because I have known people that the charity has cared for.”

The Kirkwood Cleckheaton shop is at the centre of its community with its regular customer base and glowing reputation. Its stylish interior, friendly team, unique features and overall positive atmosphere make it one of the best shops to visit in the town. We hope you will pop in and say hello to the team (maybe on a few occasions to make sure you say hello to everyone, including all twenty of our volunteers).?

Coming up next month, we visit The Kirkwood Shop – Paddock as we catch up with Liz Cunningham and the team.